What other puzzles do you recommend?

[Paradox]

Just got my Danlock yesterday and thought I'd mention how much of a brilliant puzzle it is. I can see now that I've opened it why it's widely considered to be the Rolls Royce of puzzle locks.

I thoroughly recommend it!

[mattangel]

Did you get it from Feldman? I'm still sitting on his waiting list

[Paradox]

Did you get it from Feldman? I'm still sitting on his waiting list

Actually I got lucky. I dropped an email to Hendrik over at Grand Illusions and he happened to have one on the way even though the site showed out of stock. I'm actually still on Dan's list too.

[mhuti]

For all you maze freaks out there... http://www.xmatrix.co.uk/
Anyone have one of these, if so what are they like?

[maztec]

Dude, that is weird. I totally don't get it. It's a 3D marble puzzle maybe? Objective is to get it from one side of the puzzle to the other?

[MikeyZee]

Ya, I'm having the same issue. The website doesn't give an accurate portrayal of the gameplay. Don't quite understand how it works and what the objective is.

[mhuti]

I believe you can move through the layers vertically and across the horizontal plane so the pathway is 3D. Much like Oskar Van Deventer's new wooden maze puzzle 'Next Floor' http://www.bitsandpiecesuk.com/product/ ... ainteasers.

But since I don't own one I don't know...

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0XHBJVRjU0

The Xmatrix are a new type of Dexterity 3D maze puzzles, invented by the designer Jeremy Goode and are available for purchase since November 2010.



REVIEW by http://mypuzzlecollection.blogspot.com/
Right out of the box, I was very impressed by the Xmatrix design. The golden and silver frames look extremely elegant and the mazes on both puzzles seem a little complex, especially the larger version. The packaging used is different for each version: on the Quadrus you're presented with a nice card drawer box that can be used for display purposes and on the Cubus, you have a gold plated clear plastic box, however it can brittle very easily due to the nature of the material and doesn't have much use after you open it. Other than that and besides looking very pleasing to the eye, both puzzles are of great quality and should withstand the more careless handling of the younger puzzlers.

Description
There are two different size versions, the Quadrus (large) and and the Cubus (small), with both having two color choices for the mazes (yellow and blue). If you can afford the two designs, I recommend the Quadrus in yellow and the Cubus in blue - For being larger, the Quadrus will look much nicer with a complete golden appearance and the Cubus, because it's smaller, will accentuate the contrast between the blue labyrinth walls and the golden and silver frames.


The Challenge
Your task is to guide the ball from one side to the opposite one and return it to the starting point. You'll usually start at the golden frame and only one of the four openings is large enough to let the ball pass through - This is also true for the silver frame, where you have just one way in, which proves that there's only one correct path. The Quadrus is supposed to be slightly harder than the Cubus, but to put it mildly, slightly is an understatement... It's frustratingly tougher and you're gonna have much more trouble to complete it, not just because it's bigger, but also for having a lot of dead-ends. I found myself walking around in circles on several occasions, without finding the right path to the middle of the opposite frame. The Cubus, on the other hand, is a joy to play. The overall size of the maze is much smaller, which ultimately will facilitate the memorization of the labyrinth for faster solving times. If you get easily frustrated by a hard puzzle, then I recommend starting off with the Cubus to get used to the nature of the puzzle. However, if you like a real challenge, then you won't be disappointed by the Quadrus.

Both puzzles are classified, in terms of completion time, as "Genius!", "Bravo" and "Well done", with 4, 10 and 20 minutes respectively for the Cubus and 5, 15 and 30 minutes for the Quadrus. ...Well, I'm not a "Genius" with the smaller puzzle, as my first completion time was around 10 minutes for both journeys and I didn't count the time for the larger one, but it was way more than the 30 minutes... The trick is, if you're stuck on the big maze without any real progress, just put it down for an hour or so, and you're gonna return with a fresher mind for another session.

Design
As I said in previous reviews, presentation is everything when you launch a new product in the market. The Xmatrix puzzles do this in great style, as the overall visual appearance is very attractive in both puzzles, capturing your attention right away. The designer didn't leave anything to chance and you can witness this even in the logo, where an Ambigram is cleverly used to read Xmatrix from both sides.

Closing Comments
After almost two and a half years of collecting, I have acquired a lot of different Dexterity puzzles, but none of them can be compared and don't come close to the Xmatrix puzzles. Not only do they look good, but the level of complexity put into them is astonishing. As I first looked into them, they seemed pretty hard and after I played with them for several hours, I can say that each of them provide a very satisfying level of challenge for everyone. Like everything, practice makes perfect and if you play with the Xmatrix long enough, perhaps you'll be able to aim for that "Genius" score.
An update for you all!

[Paradox]

I believe you can move through the layers vertically and across the horizontal plane so the pathway is 3D. Much like Oskar Van Deventer's new metal maze puzzle 'Next Floor' http://www.bitsandpiecesuk.com/product/ ... ainteasers.

But since I don't own one I don't know...

I reckon you're probably right. From the picture it seems that it is basically a larger and more expensive version of what you get in Christmas crackers. I could be wrong but I'm only going on the picture.

And 'Next Floor' is a wooden puzzle.

[ceagull333]

Popplock #3 for sale. $150 includes Priority shipping in USA. Includes solution instructions. Will be posting on eBay or pm me.

[mhuti]

I sent Jeremy Goode the designer/maker of the XMATRIX an email asking him to describe the workings of the puzzles he sent me this;

The aim is to navigate the ball from the GOLD frame through the 3D labyrinth (every direction) and into the opposite SILVER frame and back again within the given timescale.

Expect complete disorientation.
A 'normal' maze is visual, you can see where you are going. Xmatrix are very visual, but it is difficult to see the path. You have to 'feel' your way with the ball, mentally picture the route and remember the hurdles.
The more you do them the more you learn how they work... but they are still difficult.

If you can go from GOLD to SILVER to GOLD within the timescale you are getting good.

Xmatrix puzzles have been designed as beautiful, sculptural interior accessories; they are going to spend a bit of time on and off the coffee table. The simplicity contradicts the amount of work put into the design.

There is a lot more to say, but it takes time to understand the secrets of the labyrinth...