At its core, Laser Maze, a logic based game by ThinkFun challenges one’s mind. In my experience, when someone mentions the word logic, I always think of Star Trek’s Mr. Spock. He epitomizes the idea of being cool under fire. A state of being most parents can only dream of achieving as they navigate the daily challenges of raising kids. It would be nice to have a readily available mental retreat. An absence of distraction in order to re-focus and reset our ability to think clearly. Enter Laser Maze by ThinkFun. A single player beam-bending logic game that challenges you to focus on solving the immediate problem at hand.
How To Play
Essentially you pick up a challenge card. The difficulty ranges from Beginner to Expert. Based on its instructions you place pieces called tokens (1 Laser, 2 Beam-Splitters, 1 Cell Blocker, 1 MIrror, 5 Target/Mirror and 1 Checkpoint) onto the grid in specific position. Ideally they’ll be placed properly allowing you to shoot the laster to hit the desired target or targets according to the requirements of the challenge card. Below is a video from ThinkFun with details on how to play:
My Test Results:
Given that the Laser Maze is for one player I opted to test out the game myself. Besides, I figured at the very least I could handle the same challenges as an 8 year old, the suggested starting age for the game. I keenly became aware that one couldn’t simply just begin to play Laser Maze without taking note of what each token could do. it is a crucial component to successfully completing the task presented by the challenge card. After a quick study period I was ready to proceed. Much like an athlete who warms up prior to partaking in an event, playing Laser Maze meant removing the daily baggage from my mind to concentrate on playing. With each task completed my confidence level grew but so too did the difficulty level of each challenge. I also found it rewarding to not have to adhere to any time limit. The fun of Laser Maze is rediscovering the joy of solving a problem. Plus lasers are just pretty rad.
I would note that kids who lack patience and concentration (yes, that’s most kids, I know) might struggle at first with the level of patience needed to complete each task. But I am certain they’ll find it rewarding once they become open to the concept of logic based gameplay.
How to win your own copy of Laser Maze
Great news! You can win your own copy of ThinkFun’s Laser Maze. Just enter by using the rafflecopter form below. Good luck!
Be sure to check out our Toys and Gadgets section!
