IQ Focus
£9.99
smarttoysandgames.co.uk
Do you remember that pre-computer game era when children would play board games and puzzles that didn’t need a screen? Well the great news is that there are still some cracking old-school board games and puzzles available, and one of the best that I’ve seen for a long time is IQ Focus, a really impressive puzzle challenge aimed at anyone from eight years and older.
Delivered in a neat, very travel friendly format, IQ Focus challenges players – one at a time – to copy a selection of 120 multi-colour patterns presented in an accompanying booklet. To create the patterns, you have to use a series of different shaped multi-coloured tiles and fit them in the gird provided. OK, yes, it sounds dead simple and perhaps not a huge amount of fun – but in reality it’s quite the opposite.
The puzzles start off pretty simple but will soon have you scratching your head as you work out how to come up with the next solution. Designed to stimulate problem solving, concentration, and spatial perception skills, interestingly it was my ten year old son who proved the most adept at the challenges on offer, taking way less time that his mum and dad before being ready to move on to the next challenge.
The particularly neat thing about the design of this puzzle is that it is very compact, meaning that it’s great for car journeys or for while enjoying a quiet cuppa at the local cafe.
This is a cracking puzzle and ideal present material.
