SmartGames for adults and older children
If you are planning on buying a SmartGame, but you have no idea which one to choose, here is a little help. All the SmartGames I invented and designed so far, can be divided in three categories:
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-SmartGames for young children (age 2- 6), often made of wood. See more info here.
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-SmartGames for all ages with simple game rules and game play
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-SmartGames for all ages with more complex rules and game play
The age mentioned on the box is only a rough indication when children can start playing with the game. This doesn’t mean that they will be able to solve all challenges yet, nor does it mean that the game will be too easy for older children or adults. Most challenges included in these games can be solved by average puzzlers, so you don’t need to be a wizzkid or a pro. If you are looking for really hard challenges, look for games that say 8+ or 10+ on the box or that have a fifth level of difficulty: the WIZARD level.
SMARTGAMES WITH SIMPLE GAME RULES
Puzzles with simple game rules are not necessarily easier to solve! But they do require less concentration because the concepts are so simple that you can’t do much wrong when playing. Most games in this category are puzzles with tiles that you need to place or slide to a specific location.
Place 4 puzzle tiles on the game board, so that all animals are hidden (covered under the tiles), except the ones shown in the challenge. This puzzle has only 4 puzzle pieces and 4 places on the game board, so nobody feels intimidated when they start playing, although there are 3072 combinations possible.
age 7-99
To escape from this prison you need to be on the right place at the right time. There are 3 different zones in this prison, but only one is guarded by security cameras. This is probably my most original game concept and completely different from all other sequential movement puzzles.
Place 6 transparent tiles on top of a challenge card on the game board, so that polar bears are on the ice and the fish are in the water. Because of the transparent tiles and simple colors, it’s always very clear when a challenge is solved or not. Even children of age 4 with a lot of patience can already start playing this game.
age 6-99
Place 6 transparent tiles on top of a challenge card on the game board so that the planes are flying on the right place AND in the right direction. Each of the 4 levels is different. The right direction of each plane depends on the direction of other planes on the same route, which makes this puzzle more complex than Camouflage, although both games share the same transparent tiles.
age 8-99
Slide 5 transparent tiles to the right place, so that each egg is covered by a chicken. This is a sliding puzzle, so it is technically impossible to do anything wrong. It’s easy to solve, if you understand how sliding puzzles work. Most people don’t, so for them finding the solutions will be quite challenging ;-)
age 6-99
Place all puzzle pieces on the game board to create one complete snake from head to tail. What makes this game different is that all puzzle pieces are double sided. It has 100 challenges! My son could solve the first 15 when he was 5 years old. But it also includes a WIZARD level, which I never could solve myself.
age 7-99
Put 5 pentomino pieces on the game board so that the penguins are placed on the right location. What makes this game special is that all puzzle pieces can be shape shifted. You might think this is complicated, but it isn’t once you start to know the different possibilities of the 5 puzzle pieces. The best looking game I designed so far. The penguins are so cute!
age 7-99
Place all police cars on the game board, so that the gangster in the red car can’t escape from the city. The only slightly difficult rule in this game is to understand when the red car is blocked and when it isn’t. Sometimes there are more than 50 ways to place all tiles on the game board, but only one of those placements will also block the red car.
age 7-99
Place 4 walls on the game board so that the blue knights are safe inside the city and the red knights are locked out. Only the game rules are simple in this puzzle, finding the solution never is. It includes 60 challenges and a WIZARD level!
age 7-99
Place all puzzle pieces on the game board. Colored pegs can only be covered by puzzle pieces of the same color. It has 100 challenges to drive you nuts. It’s a perfect travel game, because it’s very compact. Although the box says 6+, I don’t think most children of that age will have enough patience yet, that’s why I would recommend it to adults and children older than 8. It includes a WIZARD level.
age 8-99
SMARTGAMES WITH MORE COMPLEX GAME PLAY
Although most puzzle games below also have just a few game rules, the game play is often more complex. When you are playing you need to stay concentrated, if not you can easily make mistakes without noticing. Often it’s not immediately clear when you have solved a challenge correctly.
Most games in this category are route finding puzzles. This is my favorite category, because they require you to think before you act. Often it’s impossible to go back one step and you need begin from start when you get stuck. Puzzles in the previous category can be solved with enough patiences and trail and error. This strategy would not be very successful with the games below, because there are simply to many possibilities to check.
Place 9 tiles on the game board to connect the right figures, but avoid making any connections that are not allowed by the challenge. It’s also not allowed to make any dead ends. The age on the box and artwork suggest that it’s a kids game, but this is only true for the first levels. Although the expert and master levels never become really hard, they look quite complex, especially for younger children.
age 5-99
Stack the monsters until only one remains. This is only possible when you stack them in the right order. In most cases you will end up with 2 or more stacks that can’t placed on top of each other. A kind of solitaire, but instead of jumping over each other, pawns of the right color need to jump on top of each other.
age 7-99
Rotate the tracks so that the metro will pass the stations in the right order. This is the only SmartGames where you don’t play all challenges from easy to hard. Each challenge card has 8 challenges and a different set-up of the puzzle pieces. This can be confusing at first. But the solutions are often very surprising.
age 8-99
Move the life boats and rescue all passengers from the cold water. Boats must pick up people whenever possible. It’s my favorite puzzle, because of the beauty of the solutions. It doesn’t include a WIZARD level, but the most of the challenges in the MASTER level would certainly qualify as ones. There is also an App of this game.
age 8-99
age 10-99
© 2011: Raf Peeters
Try to escape from an old ancient temple. But watch out, because all walls and corridors can move except the tile that is occupied by your pawn. Although this is a sliding puzzle, the fact that you also need to move your pawn on top of the tiles, gives it a complete other dimension. One of my favorites and a perfect travel game, because it is so compact.
age 7-99