A Mind Bending Countdown!

Everyone loves a puzzle. Illusen’s been seen out and about reading a copy of Cliffhanger Puzzles... Eliv Thade single handedly brought anagrams back into fashion... heck, even Dr Sloth has been known to complete the odd Usukicon Y11 jigsaw from time to time! Puzzles have now become a normal part of Neopian life, often playing an integral part in the latest plots or helping to gift an avatar. Give your pet a sliding puzzle and they’ll be entertained for hours. And there’s much fun to be had settling down as a group to take on the latest 10,000 piece Lost Desert Sand puzzle (every piece looks the same!). I’m sure you love being bamboozled as much as me, so here, I present a nice little run down of my Top 10 pieces of puzzle memorabilia!

#10: Starting off this list is the Soft Quiggle Puzzle. Perhaps geared more towards the younger generation of Neopet, these four squidgy, padded blocks have been included here as the main conundrum lies in figuring out how to create this soft toy in the first place. I am not going to give much away, other than that a trip to a mysterious cooking pot is required, as is a blue (but not sad) plushie and some timber fashioned blocks. *wink*

#9: Pipe Puzzle. Originally given out to those select few that managed to beat AAA at Meepit Juice Break during 2007’s Daily Dare, this not too difficult game requires you to connect 12 pieces of pipe. Though it’s not as straightforward as that! You have to join them in such a way that when you are finished, there are no open ends of pipe and all the pieces are used. Rumour has it, the completed shape takes on the form of a glaring Meepit... but that’s just silly... right?

#8: Mystery Island Puzzle Box. Ah! Simple yet immensely fun, this hand decorated puzzle box captures the tropics of Mystery Island perfectly. Gasp with delight as you try to guide your ball to safety, avoiding the palm tree of doom and the fake fiery pit of danger! Are you up for it? Once you have conquered the puzzle box, spice things up by trying to complete it again - only faster! Or why not challenge your friends? See who can become the Puzzle Box Master. Plus, look out for lovely Maraquan and Lost Desert themed boxes too.

#7: Puzzle Magazine. I kid you not! Now there is a magazine out that is actually dedicated to nothing but puzzles! Filled from cover to cover with the latest in tongue twisters, brain busters and a few baffling teasers for luck, anyone who enjoys a good puzzle will love this magazine. It even occasionally comes with free gifts; more puzzles to box your brain with! Take out a year’s subscription and never miss an issue. Further indications that this publication is for the mystifying elite - it was awarded as a prize during 2008’s Games Master Challenge.

#6: Wooden Sphere Puzzle. As the description suggests, this carved puzzle can be quite tricky. At first glance it looks simply like a few engraved wooden shapes, that only need to be fitted together in order to make a smooth sphere. Not that easy I’m afraid! There is only ONE way that the pieces lock together and therein lies the frustrating madness in solving this clever riddle! Also available (should you complete this/get annoyed with it and throw it across the room) are Cube, Pyramid and Cylinder shaped puzzles.

N.B. The Neopian World Record for completing this beauty is 1 hour, 38 minutes and 9 seconds. Fascinating!

#5: Pyramid Block Puzzle. This little gem will keep anyone occupied for hours. It is similar to the Wooden Sphere Puzzle in that you have to construct a seemingly impossible shape out of seemingly impossible to fit together wooden blocks. Hey! You CAN do it! Have friends shout words of encouragement and you’ll be done in no time. Once you eventually get the pyramid built, why not create a mini Lost Desert? Get creative with paper palm trees and use your favourite Neopian figurines to act out an adventure. Perfect entertainment to keep one busy on a rainy afternoon!

#4: Mix and Match Faerie Puzzle. This is a great game if ever I saw one! This puzzle requires you to correctly match together heads, bodies and legs to complete pictures of different Faerie Neopets. Easy? Sure! But there is a huge amount of mischievous fun that goes with “accidentally” miss-matching the colourful cards. Laugh out loud at the silliness in matching a Faerie Grundo’s head with the body of a Techo and a pair of Ruki legs! Or chortle at how wonderfully daft that Faerie Draik’s feet look when teamed with the torso of a Lutari and a Faerie Koi head! The possibilities are endless here and I’ll bet you’d never laughed so hard!

#3: Hubrids Puzzle Box. Yes, I am aware that this is technically a Battledome weapon. But it is so completely and utterly baffling that I think it’s only fair to include it on this list. Exclusively available from a certain ‘Hidden Tower’ in Faerieland (no I’ve never managed to find it either), this fiendish device could only ever have been thought up by the most devious of minds. If you ever manage to solve it, you may never lose in battle again! A shiny metal box covered with a plethora of buttons and numerous switches. Only the über skilled will be able to unlock this cube’s secrets.

#2: BIG Book of Puzzles. Ah, another fine publication! This huge, heavy hardback is favoured reading of Neopia’s conundrum solving rich and famous. Boasting over 1000 pages, it is packed to the brim with all time classic teasers, as well as the more up to date riddles of today. Second editions even come with a personalized notepad for all your brainy workings out. It is also worth noting that there is an accompanying tome - the Little Book of Puzzles - too! This mini, mystifying marvel is great for those who get bored whilst travelling; it fits nice and neatly into any front pocket.

#1: Puzzle Fruit. *fanfare* At last, number one! As if your brain wasn’t spinning enough from my fantastic countdown, here is my numero uno in puzzling paraphernalia. The Puzzle Fruit. A rare 99 piece of cuisine, as the description notes, you have to solve this enigma before you can eat it! To be honest, I wouldn’t even know where to start. Neither would most Neopians, it seems - apparently this baffling fruit has only been tasted a small handful of times. Those that are rewarded with the luxury of a bite have described it as sensational, somewhat of a cross between the sweetest apple and the juiciest grapes. The gorgeous Technicolor hues only add to the spectacle!

Done! I thank you for joining me in solving your way through my Puzzle Top Ten. I sincerely hope you come away having learnt at least something. There will always be new and exciting challenges to test you round each corner, so keep your wits about you, sharpen that intellect and stay focused! Now, perhaps it’s best to find a dark, quiet room and let your brain rest, hmm?!