by Thamisgith
Perplexus is a great educational toy which comes in a variety of different models and is suitable for children in the age range 6 to 14. In fact, adults will enjoy this as well.
It is, quite literally, a twist on a traditional toy. It's a 3D maze where the object is "simply" to get a small steel ball through the maze from start to finish.
It's a real brain teaser that will keep your kids (and you) entertained for hours on end.
The concept is simplicity itself - you need to steer a small steel ball from start to finish through a maze. There must have been thousands of children's games built upon this concept over the years.
The new twist is the fact that the Perplexus maze is in 3 dimensions contained within a perspex sphere. You will need to twist and turn your Perplexus globe in order to move the ball from one obstacle to the next. The obstacles even include swinging arms and booms!
It will, depending upon age and ability, take the user quite some time to "solve" this puzzle - but unlike modern toys and games - such as XBox or PS3 games for example - you aren't finished once you solve the puzzle. You will probably want to go back through it again and see if you can do it faster (and faster and faster). You may find that, in some families, a certain competitive element will develop. Family members can compete against each other - either to see who can get the furthest through or who can complete the puzzle in the shortest time.
There are 4 different versions of the Perplexus 3D maze to choose from. The first is the Perplexus Rookie. This has 75 different obstacle to overcome and is suitable for kids in the age range of 6 to 8 years.
Next is the Perplexus Original (or just the plain old Perplexus if you prefer). This has 100 different challenges from start to finish and is suitable for children between 6 and 14 years of age.
The Perplexus Epic has 125 barriers to completion and is good for kids in the age range of 6 to 12.
Finally, the Perplexus Twist (pictured) has fewer obstacles - a mere 30 - but another dimension is added since the problem requires the player to rotate the two halves of the sphere, changing the relative position of some of the tracks and obstacles, before the puzzle can be solved. It's suitable for children from 7 years upwards.
 | Perplexus Epic, 3D Maze Game with 125 Obstacles (Edition May Vary) Put your skills to the test with perplexing epic! Do you have what it takes to make it through this thrilling 3D maze of 125 challenging obstacles? Flip, twist and spin perplexu... |
SPOILER ALERT: The video below shows how to solve the 100 obstacles of Perplexus original. Watch it only if you're stuck!
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Comments
It's interesting that three out of four forms are suitable educational entertainment for children from age 6 years onward.
It's somewhat amusing to me that a year more of education and experience is recommended for the Perplexus Twist.
That ability and that understanding of breaking something down into two different parts with two different motions and into different positions regarding other things must be the difference between first- and second-graders, at least on this western side of the Atlantic pond, correct?
Very interesting. My niece and nephew are at the ages where they'd really like this.