Yin & Yang Puzzle

Yin & Yang

Today I will review the Yin & Yang puzzle. This one is made for Puzzle Master and is rated as easy by them - 5 out of 10 (remember, their scoring begins at 5!) I chose this one because it looks absolutely lovely and I felt I ought to try an easy one for once! My brain has started to hurt with all the tough ones I have been doing recently! I think I may have said before that I'm not terribly bright!! Neil has reviewed it here and by Gabriel here.

It comes very nicely packaged in a blue box with the Puzzle Master logo on it and the instructions to take it apart and then re-assemble it. This puzzle is spherical and measure 6.4cm diameter and is a really good weight (heavier than the Hanayama cast puzzles). It comes with a solution which I threw away without looking at it and if you do the same and still find yourself wanting one then download it from here.

It consists of 4 pieces of metal - each is half of a Yin/Yang symbol. Two of them are a shiny aluminium and the other 2 seem to be a metal which has been enamelled a shiny black colour. This really makes for an enticing ornament. When you pick it up it rattles alarmingly and all the pieces seem very loose. The solitary review on the Puzzle Master product page says that it just falls apart (1 star only) and I do disagree with that. However, do not expect much of a challenge from it - I think that everyone will solve it within just a few minutes.

Yin & Yang Pieces

There are only a few possible things you could do with it and as soon as you have found the one key move then the rest of it just unlocks and you get the 4 pieces. Reassembly is just a matter of reversing the process and only takes a few seconds. I did experiment to see whether their were any other configurations but because of the shape of the pieces it only fits together one way. Once you have done it a few times it does start to feel like it will fall apart when you pick it up (although it hasn't ever done that).

I love the look and feel of this one but it is not really particularly puzzling - it is easy enough even for a young child. It does make a nice ornament, however!!