 Brain Teaser Puzzles
Puzzles and brain teasers for those who like challenges.
Rush Hour
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Rush Hour
Honk! Honk! It's gridlock and the little red car can't move. The player is a traffic cop in the Rush Hour Traffic Jam Puzzle where the objective is to get the red car off the road. To play, pick one of 40 challenge cards; solutions are printed on the back of each card. Then set up the cars and buses in a specified pattern on the 6-inch-square road grid. Move the vehicles one by one (obey those traffic laws!) until the red car can escape the traffic jam. There are four levels of difficulty. Kids can alternate turns with another player or just "play in traffic" alone. The game from Binary Arts received a national award from Mensa and is used in elementary school math classes. The design includes clear instructions printed on the sturdy box, which can be used both as a playing tray and for storage. The game cards stow away in a drawer in the road grid. This is a 1999 Parents' Choice recommended toy. --Marcie Bovetz
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Block by Block 3D Puzzle
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Block by Block 3D Puzzle
There are only seven pieces in this puzzle, so it should be easy. Right? Guess again! Sixty puzzle cards show 60 three-dimensional structures for players to replicate using the seven pieces. Each of the pieces, based on three or four connected cubes, is unique. One is an L shape, another a T, and they get more complicated from there. If a player is stumped and can't figure out how to build the Long Wall, the Snake, or the Bad Dog, there are helpful clues on the back of the cards. Players also can use the pieces to invent their own structures. Originally known as the Soma Cube, Block by Block is an excellent way to develop and refine spatial perception skills. Includes drawstring bag for storage. --Wendy Slotboom
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Brick by Brick Stacking Puzzle
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Brick by Brick Stacking Puzzle
This engrossing puzzle contains five pieces that look like red bricks attached in different configurations. The object is to arrange the pieces to form cut-out wall sections of different shapes (pyramid-like, V-shaped, and so on). Athough the accompanying cards that display different designs is highly entertaining, feel free to experiment. By the time you've made your way through the stack, it's unlikely you'll memorize most of the solutions, so there's plenty of mileage in this activity. --Tom Keogh
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Triazzle Dragon Fly Puzzle
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Triazzle Dragon Fly Puzzle
Test your brainpower with Triazzle. This triangular puzzle is comprised of 16 smaller triangular pieces. The object is to recreate the original illustration by placing the pieces so that they match up with each other and fit into the "bigger picture"--in this case, a small army of dazzling dragonflies. With only one solution, "it's harder than it looks!" might be an understatement. Beautifully designed and illustrated by award-winning nature artist Dan Gilbert, with fun dragonfly facts on the back. Did you know the dragonfly can fly both backward and forward? --Alison Golder
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Rubik's Cube
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Rubik's Cube
Even if you've been living on Mars since the 1970s, you've probably heard of Rubik's Cube, the bestselling puzzle in history. Just in case, though, here's a recap: it's a 3-by-3-by-3-inch cube with rotating faces made up of nine squares that can be scrambled into (so it's said) 43 quintillion combinations. Getting the cube back to its original position (so that all nine squares of the same color make up each face) is incredibly challenging for most, though it can be mastered and solved. For those not gifted with superhuman spatial intuition, this mindbender comes with a solution hints booklet, which examines the cube's properties and offers clues for solving the puzzle. Whether it's a difficult toy or retro '80s kitsch you're seeking, Rubik's Cube is for you. --Rob Lightner
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Square Root Puzzle
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Square Root Puzzle
This mind-teasing Square Root puzzle stands out from the crowd for two reasons: first, it's difficult, requiring more than 80 moves to solve; second, it's big (7.5-inches-by-9-inches) and handsome, handcrafted from smooth, unpainted wood, backed with wine-colored felt. The object of the game is to maneuver the largest square out through the slot at the bottom--without removing, lifting, or turning any of the 10 pieces. Did I mention how difficult it is? Luckily, a Cheater's Map to Success is available separately from Square Root Games at an additional charge. --Rebecca Hughes
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