Today, manufacturers of games and toys delight buyers with all kinds of puzzles of varying degrees of difficulty. One of the most famous and popular today is the ball puzzle labyrinth "Perplexus". Children and adults in different countries of the world play it with pleasure.
What is Perplexus?
This is a challenging 3D puzzle. Outwardly, it is a transparent plastic ball, inside of which there is a maze with numerous tracks. The player's task is to draw a small metal ball through all the obstacles so that he does not fly off the track.
At the beginning of the "journey" the ball is set at the starting point. She, like all stages of the maze, is marked with the corresponding number. Next, you need to very carefully and deftly turn, tilt, twist the ball in your hands so that the ball moves further along the route. To go through the maze to the end, you will have to try very hard. Some stages of the maze may seem quite simple, but over the passage of others you will have to smash your head and show wonders of dexterity.
Visually, the toy is very attractive. It is made of durable quality materials. Stylish design, the most difficult route, modern execution - the puzzle ball “Perplexus” attracts attention and makes you want to quickly pick it up. Since the toy is not separable, it is convenient to take it with you on a trip, on vacation.
History of creation and awards
The idea of creating such a labyrinth ball was born a long time ago, in the 70s of the last century. Its author was Michael McGinnis. And the toy itself, in the form in which thousands of users from all over the world know it, was designed and made in the USA by Brian Clemens and Dan Clinster. The puzzle arrived on store shelves in 2008. Over a decade of sales, the Perplexus balloon has won over three dozen different awards. Among them are the honorary award "Toy of the Year", which the puzzle has won in several countries, as well as the awards "Parents' Choice", "Development" and some others. It is not surprising that this particular toy was repeatedly chosen by the winner in various nominations. She certainly deserves it.
What age is the Perplexus ball designed for?
The manufacturer indicates that anyone over the age of 6 can handle the Perplexus Original puzzle (intermediate level). For young children there is a simplified version of the game, and for experienced players - a complicated one.
This is a fun and addictive game for children and adults. One has only to try - as soon as the ball is in your hands, and the game begins, I want to quickly reach the goal. How long will the maze take? Everyone has different, but definitely have to try.
There are several varieties of the puzzle, namely four. Buying a ball labyrinth "Perplexus" for a child, you need to take into account his age and capabilities. If the difficulty is too much for a small player, he may lose interest in entertainment. The toy is not able to leave anyone indifferent, it instantly grabs your attention and holds it until the end of the passage of obstacles.
What is the difficulty of the puzzle?
The Perplexus maze is not flat, but three-dimensional. All obstacles are located in several planes, which adds complexity to the game. When passing barriers, one has to consider gravity, gravity, the height of the sides that enclose the paths, and much more. When passing through some sections, you need to roll the ball more slowly, while others - faster. All of this, the players have to guess in the process of passing the route.
At the development of some stages, you can "get stuck" for a long time, because the puzzle ball "Perplexus" is designed for a long passage. It will take time to figure out exactly which trick, what movements will make the ball move further through the maze.
Varieties of Perplexus
To date, the manufacturer has released 4 types of maze. They differ in complexity, size, number of barriers (stages):
1. Rookie - a ball “Perplexus” in a simplified version, which can be mastered even by children, starting from 4 years of age. But even it will be interesting to adults, especially those who have no experience playing with similar puzzles.
2. Original - average difficulty level, 100 stages, the ability to start a route from one of the three marked starting points. This is the most famous, popular, best-selling version of the game.
3. Epic - this is the most complex version of the maze, which is designed for adults, and not all. It is recommended that you first go through the classic version of the game before proceeding with this version. There are 125 obstacles and an increased length of the track.
4. Twist - a kind of game that is also designed for experienced players. It has a fundamental difference from all other models. It consists in the fact that the labyrinth needs not only to be passed, but also to independently construct sections of the route, combining the individual elements of the route into a single whole. The passage of this game will be long, difficult and very interesting.
Where is the Perplexus puzzle ball sold? Detsky Mir and large online stores are places where you can most likely find the toy you want. With the popularity of this puzzle, the release of fakes has also increased. You can distinguish original goods from falsified ones by the quality of packaging, the clarity of the printed information. Often, fakes are much cheaper than the original. To minimize the likelihood of buying a fake, it is worth buying a puzzle in large stores.
Useful and fun
Like all other puzzles, the maze ball "Perplexus" refers to educational games. It makes players show dexterity, logical and spatial thinking, concentrate, quickly think through each subsequent step. Those who lack such qualities as patience and perseverance can develop them with Perplexus - they will definitely be needed here.
This puzzle will be an interesting leisure for anyone who is not indifferent to toys that make you think, reason. After the first passage through an intricate maze, you can try to play for speed, trying to bring the ball to the goal in the least amount of time. For a person of any age, the Perplexus ball will be a wonderful gift promising an interesting and entertaining pastime.