THE NOWOTNIK PUZZLE / Reston Associates, 16K
If you ever tried Rubik’s Cube or the many similar games and puzzles which followed it, you’ll love this one. It operates in two dimensions and the graphics are excellent.
Here’s what happens. In level one the screen is divided into four squares which move at random up, down, left and right. Then all you have to do is reassemble the original design pattern. It sounds simple. The movement is fast and the game is user-friendly.
There are five levels available. I spent my time in levels one and two. I looked at five, but I just couldn’t afford more psychiatric help and my bartender was on vacation. It is amazing. The design in level five consists of an 8 x 8 grid which moves at random as well.
Although I have yet to do well on it, I like the game. My children (as usual) are better at it than I. The whole family, plus miscellaneous visitors, guests and relatives (even my mother-in-law) shared my enthusiasm. Depending on your attitude to a challenge, this could be great!
It takes a long time to load (almost six and a half minutes), so start it up, then go make a pot of coffee because this one is fairly addictive and you’ll need to stay awake and alert. In fact, while you play one game against the computer on half of the screen, the computer is solving your problem on the other half.
The graphics are inventive as the screen is “painted” black very neatly in two different ways. Be sure to read the directions and, if you can, sketch the possible shapes. The play of the game is similar to the popular game called Mastermind. You guess what shape is in which position. The computer tells you only that you have a number of shapes in the right place, or in the wrong place, or the wrong shapes all together.
It’s not a game for everyone, but I liked it, especially since I blew it on level one (easiest) and solved the level five (most difficult) in three guesses! I know it’s just luck, but it was enough to hook me and keep me going for one pot of coffee!
THE CUBE GAME / Timex, 16K
This is a computerized version of Rubik’s Cube. It loads easily but slowly in five minutes and thirty-seven seconds. Then you are faced with your first decision: your cube — will it be a solid, two-dimensional (unfolded), or a see-through three-dimensional cube?
The movements are fairly complex as you are faced with choosing one of eight axes to move. However, only the X, Y and Z axes refer to rows, the others are commands to list moves, store the game, start again, and so on.
After choosing your axis, you pick a number to move the chosen row the right direction. There are nine choices here.
The graphics make the best use of the machine, but I found them difficult to get used to, particularly with the see-through cubes. The movements are fairly slow but acceptable.
On the whole, I prefer the graphics and play of the Nowotnik Puzzle over the Cube Game. The directions are simpler, the play is faster, and although I’ve yet to become an expert (heck, I’m not even good enough to be mediocre at it) I enjoy the puzzle.
TSU Rating
All three games load and play well. The graphics for the Nowotnik Puzzle and Mega Mind are clearly superior to The Cube Game. I also find the play of Nowotnik slightly preferable.
Graphics Play Directions Service Name Publisher (1-10) (1-10) (1-10) Card No. Rating Nowotnik Reston 9 8 9 3 ★★★★ Mega Mind Orbyte 8 8 8 4 ★★★ Cube Game Timex 7 6 6 5 ★★