Age of Puzzles - Projects

A Colorful Journey through Endless Patterns of Quick Wits

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Projects

In this part of the AgeOfPuzzles.com I'd like to present some puzzle & game projects which I designed fully or developed challenges to them (whole sets or just a few puzzles), or helped to improve designs made by other authors, or co-worked in a team. Some of these puzzles still can be bought directly from the respective manufacturers through their websites; see their links shown next to each puzzle. Also, they are sold at AreYouGame.com, Imaginarium.com, TORITO Puzzle Shop, and many other places both in virtual and real stores. To find out where to buy a certain puzzle you may use some searching engine like Google, Yahoo!, AltaVista, and similar. Search by puzzle's name and manufacturer.
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Important: Copyright to all puzzles/games shown in the Projects area of AgeOfPuzzles.com stays with their respective manufacturers / authors / designers.

Put-Together Puzzles

Fish Crackers

by Serhiy and Peter Grabarchuk

This assembling puzzle consists of nine funny tiles, and 48 challenges in 5 difficulty levels are proposed to be solved on the pages of the supplied booklet. The goal of each challenge is to assemble with all the nine tiles the given shape placing tiles exactly within its outline. Tiles can be flipped over, but not overlapped.

Also, you can play some Flash interactive challenges of the Fish Crackers at Kids.Gakken (here).

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More details about the puzzle:
-- published: by GAKKEN Co. Ltd., 2008 in the Embrain Series;
-- manufactured: by CHRONOS Co., Ltd.;
-- translator: Hirokazu Iwasawa;
-- concept, name, design, and challenges: by puzzle group consisting of Serhiy and Tanya Grabarchuk and Peter Grabarchuk and Helen Homa;
-- ISBN: 978-4-05-750271-7.

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The Fish Crackers puzzle is available in Japan, and may be bought at TORITO Puzzle Shop (here) or Amazon.co.jp (here) websites.

Put-Together Puzzles

Octa: Half & Half

by Serhiy Grabarchuk

Sixteen two-colored pieces consisting of two halves (light and dark) of a regular octagon can be assembled into a 4 x 4 shape so that eight light and eight dark one-colored octagons placed within the shape in a checkered order appear. No octagon must touch another octagon of the same color. Pieces cannot be flipped over. The puzzle is perfectly manufactured using laser-cut technology, and is available here.

*****
More details about the puzzle:
-- sold: by George Miller;
-- manufactured: by George Miller of PuzzlePalace.com;
-- concept and challenge: by Serhiy Grabarchuk.

Put-Together Puzzles

Star-16

by Serhiy Grabarchuk

This assembling puzzle consists of 16 star-like tiles of different shapes. Each of them has one of its side black, and the other, white. The object is to put all the 16 tiles within the 4x4 tray of the special shape. Another challenge is to make a checkered, black-n-white pattern within the same tray. Available here. SOLD OUT!

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More details about the puzzle:
-- sold: by TORITO Puzzle Shop;
-- manufactured: by GRIFFIOEN Design BV;
-- concept, design, and challenge: by Serhiy Grabarchuk.

Put-Together Puzzles

Cast Coaster

by Serhiy Grabarchuk

This is my first puzzle manufactured by Hanayama Toys Co., Ltd. in their famous and unique Cast Puzzle series. The Cast Coaster puzzle consists of only three light, metal rings linked into a chain. The rings are to be assembled into a nice pattern which uses ornamental motif of the simplest, three-line braid closed into a loop.

*****
More details about the puzzle:
-- manufactured and sold: by Hanayama Toys Co., Ltd.;
-- concept and design: by Serhiy Grabarchuk.

learn more >

Put-Together Puzzles

Cubix

by Serhiy Grabarchuk

Fit the chain of cubes in four colors within a 4x4 square tray so that each horizontal and vertical row, and each of two main diagonals are assembled of four different colors.

*****
More details about the puzzle:
-- manufactured: by Haba;
-- overall design: by GRIFFIOEN Design BV;
-- concept and challenge: by Serhiy Grabarchuk.

learn more >

Put-Together Puzzles

Quadrato

by Serhiy Grabarchuk

The eight two-layered pieces consisting of two squares of two different colors can be put within a square tray flat so that the final shape is two-layered, and all blue squares are lying in the top layer.

*****
More details about the puzzle:
-- manufactured: by Haba;
-- overall design: by GRIFFIOEN Design BV;
-- concept and challenge: by Serhiy Grabarchuk.

Put-Together Puzzles

City Puzzle

A metal puzzle consisting of six chrome-plated puzzle pieces themed with gleaming skyscrapers and green parks. Assembled together within a rectangular 6x7 base they show a nice big city somewhere in the Puzzle World...

*****
More details about the puzzle:
-- manufactured: by ThinkFun®;
-- challenge: by Serhiy Grabarchuk.

learn more >

Put-Together Puzzles

Fit to a Tee Puzzle

A puzzle with a mini golf course consisting of the nine high-quality metal puzzle pieces with one flag and one tee on each. To create the course arrange the puzzle pieces so that each flag has a tee next to it just like a real golf course. Two different challenges you have to play with: the "Front Nine" at the face side of the tray, and the "Back Nine" on its back.

*****
More details about the puzzle:
-- manufactured: ThinkFun®;
-- concept: Hank Atkins;
-- challenges: Serhiy Grabarchuk.

Put-Together Puzzles

That-A-Way

A new tile puzzle consisting of ten domino-like tiles featuring two arrows pointing in various directions; tiles show all two-arrow combinations. Players must line the arrows up to match one of 40 Beginner-to-Expert challenges featured in the enclosed challenge booklet.

*****
More details about the puzzle:
-- manufactured: by ThinkFun®;
-- creation: by Greg Dye;
-- challenges: by Greg Dye and Serhiy Grabarchuk (several challenges);
-- concept refining: by Serhiy Grabarchuk.
Even more facts and details about the puzzle including its playable version you can find and play here.

learn more >

Maze & Route Puzzles

Leapin' Lizards

by Larry D. Nichols

A "restricted route" puzzle, this is a clever, one-player game that's ideal for older kids and adults. Select one of 40 circular challenge cards as the playing surface, set up 5 colorful chameleons as indicated, and move them one by one along the lines until each gets back to its matching colored rock. Just follow the pathways on your trip back home...

*****
More details about the puzzle:
-- manufactured: by ThinkFun®;
-- concept: by Larry D. Nichols;
-- challenges: by Serhiy Grabarchuk.

Maze & Route Puzzles

Coast-to-Coast

How long it can take you to get from New York to Los Angeles via the Coast-to-Coast express? Move your vintage woodie station wagon along the paths of the challenging maze embedded into a stainless map, and be prepared for many twists and turns along the way. Have a nice and delightful trip!

*****
More details about the puzzle:
-- manufactured by ThinkFun®;
-- challenge by Serhiy Grabarchuk;
Even more facts and details about the puzzle can be found here.

learn more >

Maze & Route Puzzles

River Crossing

An innovative new brainteaser by noted maze creator Andrea Gilbert. The Hiker should cross the river without getting up close and personal with gators, snakes and piranha. Move the planks among the tree stumps to help the Hiker across. 40 Beginner-to-Expert challenge cards ensure a breathtaking adventure...

*****
More details about the puzzle:
-- manufactured: by ThinkFun®;
-- design: by Andrea Gilbert with some help by Serhiy Grabarchuk;
-- challenges: by Andrea Gilbert.
Even more facts and details about the puzzle including its playable version and bonus challenges you can find and play here.

learn more >

Sliding Block Puzzles

The Sliding Bubble Car Puzzle

by Serhiy and Peter Grabarchuk

Seven tiles of special shape form a garage and an old-fashioned car. Your goal is to move the car into the garage. You can only slide the tiles without lifting, rotating, or turning them. This puzzle is a harder version of a similar sliding block puzzle created by Serhiy and Peter Grabarchuk. Available here. SOLD OUT!

*****
More details about the puzzle:
-- sold: by TORITO Puzzle Shop;
-- manufactured: by GRIFFIOEN Design BV;
-- concept, design, and challenge: by Serhiy Grabarchuk.

Sliding Block Puzzles

Hole In One Brainteaser Puzzle

by Peter and Serhiy Grabarchuk

This sliding block puzzle consists of just five pieces -- four L-corners that make a frame and a big square one. The goal is to slide the square block within the frame of four L-corners without lifting and rotating the pieces. Available here.

*****
More details about the puzzle:
-- manufactured and sold: by Bits & Pieces;
-- concept and challenge: by Peter and Serhiy Grabarchuk.

Sliding Block Puzzles

The Sliding Beetle Brain Teaser

by Serhiy Grabarchuk

You have the eight pieces put within a 3 x 3 square tray. The object is to exchange the two color squares -- yellow and red -- on Beetle's back without lifting and rotating the pieces.

*****
More details about the puzzle:
-- manufactured and sold: by Bits & Pieces;
-- concept and challenge: by Serhiy Grabarchuk.

Sliding Block Puzzles

Fancy Squares

by Serhiy and Peter Grabarchuk

Nine square blocks are put in a square tray making the pattern shown in the image at left. Remove the square in the center, and then solve four challenges with four different initial positions of the blocks proposed in the instruction sheet. For all these puzzles your goal is to recreate the pattern, making the least number of single moves.

*****
More details about the puzzle:
-- manufactured and sold: by Bits & Pieces;
-- concept, design, and challenges: by Serhiy and Peter Grabarchuk.

Sliding Block Puzzles

Roadside Rescue

You're the driver -- controlling the Police Car, Fire Truck, and the Ambulance -- maneuver through the traffic, potholes, and construction cones to get to the rescue site. Your have 42 serious brainteaser puzzles, each one with a unique traffic pattern and a different challenge you should solve to accomplish your rescue!..

*****
More details about the puzzle:
-- manufactured: by ThinkFun®;
-- concept: by Hank Atkins;
-- challenges: by Serhiy Grabarchuk.

Games

Dino Dodg'em

In this two-player strategy game two teams of dinosaurs are racing to be the first across and off the game board. Players take turns moving their pieces forward or sideways to gain advantage and block their opponent, with each trying to get all their dinos off the board first.

*****
More details about the puzzle:
-- manufactured: by ThinkFun®;
-- concept: by Colin Vout.
-- game developing: by a team including Serhiy Grabarchuk.

Games

Galactic Takeover

A classic pencil-and-paper game of Dots & Boxes now in Space! Two warring forces are battling for galactic domination. Two players take turns building landing pad walls to land their own spacecraft and box out their opponent.

An interesting story "Loyd, Dudeney and... Galactic Takeover" by Serhiy Grabarchuk about Dots & Boxes puzzles describing six different challenges you can read here.

*****
More details about the game:
-- manufactured: by ThinkFun®;;
-- concept: classic pencil-and-paper game;
-- game developing: by a team including Serhiy Grabarchuk.