1 Euro Labyrinth

Right, so I guess I should write a proper review. So here it is ...... after I give you a brief low-down on how I came about this puzzle (and quite a few of the other puzzles I'll be reviewing!!).

The first puzzle I'll be reviewing I received in my latest package from my puzzle contact in the Netherlands, William Strijbos. I found out about Wil from the friendly guys on the Revomaze forum, which is another set of puzzles I'll review in due course. Wil often goes on trips around the world and picks up many puzzles that he compiles into a newsletter which he sends to everyone on his mailing list. He also makes his own puzzles and has been given permission to reproduce some others. So as you can expect, his updates aren't sparse.

So far I have purchased puzzles from Wil three times and I've been on his mailing list since the 1st of October. There's no doubt that I'll continue to buy puzzles from Wil as he is a great businessman and produces some great puzzles.

So I thought I start with the puzzle I've most recently completed, the 1 Euro Labyrinth. It's a puzzle designed and made by Robrecht Louage. The puzzle was entered into Nob Yoshigahara's Puzzle Design Competition 2012 which was judged at the IPP32 held in Washington DC.

1 Euro Labyrinth

The puzzle consists of a clear piece of acrylic with a 1 Euro coin embedded, which can be seen through a keyhole shaped hole in the main body of the puzzle. Several horizontal grooves can also be seen through keyhole milled into the base and a single vertical groove in the piece of acrylic. Simply, the goal is to remove the 1 Euro.

So, you begin playing and you eventually see a small ball bearing in the vertical groove and it's obvious you need to navigate the ball bearing round the labyrinth inside which will eventually release the 1 Euro ..... however, it's easier said than done.

I played with it for a good 20 mins, getting close a few times, before I realised I had already solved one of Robrecht's puzzles before, the 4 Step Visible Lock (which I'll also review in due course!!). Using this knowledge of Robrecht's "tricks" I managed to solve this puzzle and release the 1 Euro quite easily.

1 Euro Labyrinth completed with the 1 Euro removed

Although the 1 Euro Labyrinth is not as difficult as some other labyrinth puzzles I have, it is definitely very enjoyable to continue to open. As is it enjoyable to watch others struggle to open it!!

Unfortunately I must report one little problem I encountered with my version, which is probably very uncommon. A small piece of the labyrinth broke off inside my puzzle preventing the ball bearing from moving vertically in the groove in the acrylic. Luckily, however, there are four bolts on the face of the puzzle that I was able to unscrew enabling me to remove the annoyance. Although this stray piece didn't allow me to open the puzzle properly before I saw the labyrinth, I was certain of it's design and the "tricks" so thankfully it didn't spoil anything for me.

I was going to review another puzzle in this post, but as I rambled on for a bit (and it took so long to write!!) I'll leave it at that for today.

That's all for now!!

(As this is my first ever review, let me know your comments, suggestions and criticisms in the comments below!!!)