The first puzzle up today is one manufactured by DaMert company. This one is called jumping frog jumble. It is a packing puzzle with a twist. Literally! The object of the puzzle is two fold-make a square, or make a triangle. Since it's a flat puzzle, it's not as hard as many others I've tried recently.
This puzle consists of 7 pieces that can be rotated through eachother to place them into the desired forms. And that is where the twist comes in. The 'arms' that seperate the squares are either raised or recessed so there are a number of different combinations that can be attempted based on the level of those little arms. I got this puzzle quite a few years back, and while attempting to find some information on it online (i.e. the solution for the triangle) I found that the company website as listed on the packaging is no longer active. It's a shame really because DaMert made some really great puzzles in the 1990's. A bit more hunting lead me to a new link so you can see they are still in business with some great stuff over there. Sadly the solutions pages no longer exist. This and other jumble puzzles can be found on Amazon.com. At that price, it's worth the purchase. A nice fun simple puzzle to make even the dumbest of us feel smart again!
This one! Hive! That's all I know about it. It is made up of bacelite tiles and comes in a nice bag. I have discovered on the internet that it is a game with a lot of conveluted rules and such. Kind of reminds me of Tantrix but with the ability to stack up the pieces. I purchased this one years ago as well. New as a matter of fact, but have discovered that I've no instruction booklet to go with it. A shame really because now the game is incomplete. So if it's not a puzzle why put it up? To let you all know that every now and again even I get suckered into stupid purchases. Thiswas one of them. It looked like a puzzle from the blerb on Amazon so I hit the purchase button. Be warned, when things look good, they aren't always. Some investigation may be in order. And this one? A total waste of money. The only time it has been out of the box since that initial purchase was to take this photo. 
We have "Hive", it is a great game! Maybe we can xerox the instructions and send them to you.
ReplyDeleteI also have an old copy of Hive, like the one in your picture and I also love the game although haven't played it in a while. There are 2 additional pieces; the Mosquito and Ladybug (or Lady Bird if you're British like me). The makers webpage is http://www.gen42.com/hive and you can find the rules there. I also have the Army of Frogs game which is also fun. There is a nice black and white version of Hive called Carbon Edition which I have been planning to buy for some time which includes the extra pieces in the set. You can buy the extra tiles for your set seperately as well.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the offer George, I found the instructions online. Nice of the company to post them. I saw the Mosquito and Ladybug as well. I guess I like the tiles, but not having played the game yet it's pointless to purchase extra pieces.
ReplyDeleteIf Jumping frog jumble is that easy for you, do you mind sharing the solution?
ReplyDeleteI never post solutions online. It takes the fun away from those who don't want one. Puzzle spoilers that won't show up on my page. But....if you do a search for DeMert-the company that originally made the puzzle, you can find solutions on the web.
ReplyDeleteCan anyone lead me to the solution for the triangle for jumpin frog jumble?
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