Customer Reviews

Intriguing Lateral Thinking Puzzles

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I got this book, along with 3 other Sloane & MacHale lateral thinking puzzle books for Christmas one year. At first it seemed like a sorry excuse for a gift, but as I read this one first, I found that it was a challenging endeavor of the mind. Lateral thinking, it seems, is taking a situation and finding a solution that is not the most obvious, but usually the most logical. That said, this is challenging to say the least. A good book for people who enjoy mind games.

"Intriguing Lateral Thinking Puzzles" contains 110 puzzles that have strange situations that need a rational explanation. The puzzles don't include everything needed to solve them, but there is a clue section to help. The book is designed for two or more people, with one person asking the puzzles and answering questions with either "yes, no, or irrelevant" while others try to solve the puzzles. There are five puzzle sections: Dangerous and Deadly Puzzles; Easy and Elementary Puzzles; Intriguing and Interesting Puzzles; Challenging and Chastening Puzzles; and Fascinating and Fiendish Puzzles. The clue section, which immediately follows the puzzle section, is arranged by puzzle name, however, the answer section is arranged alphabetically. There is one WALLY test, which is fourteen fairly easy riddles.

"Intriguing Lateral Thinking Puzzles" is one of the best lateral thinking puzzle books that I've read. It's not perfect, while they are meant to be solved using clues, some of the puzzles are too short (some are only one sentence long!) and there's just not enough information to solve them. Examples of this are: "The Hasty Packer", "Poor Dogs", "Untying the Rope", "The Cloth", and "Nun-plussed". Several of the puzzles are implausible, which makes it frustrating to try to solve them. These puzzles include: "New Shoes", "40 Feet Ahead", "Strange Reactions", "Desert", "Mutilation", "The Parcel", "The Missing Diamond", "Three Notes" and "Catching a Bullet". However, for the most part the book is a nice mix of puzzles ranging from easy to puzzles that require real lateral thinking. Some of the easier puzzles include the WALLY test as well as "School Friend", "The Clinch", "Precognition", "Red Light", "Call Box", "Library Lunacy", "The Crash", "Doctor's Appointment", and "Poor Impersonation". Some of the best puzzles in the book, the ones requiring real lateral thinking, include: "The Sign", "Heartless", "Thirsty", "The Tree and the Axe", "Confectionery Manufacturer", "The Painter", "Beautiful Girls", "Orange Trick", "Good-bye, Mother", "Car in the River", "The Typist", "Two Jugs", "Twin Trouble", "Invaluable", "The Code" and "Time of Arrival". "Fair Deal" is a classic lateral-thinking puzzle that still caught me off guard. The clue section is a mixed bag - the most helpful clues were for the puzzles "The Deadly Melody", "Dead Drunk", and "The Hasty Packer". Having the answers in alphabetical order is a great idea because it prevents you from accidentally seeing the answer to the next puzzle.

"Intriguing Lateral Thinking Puzzles" is extremely clever and well done.

I love this type of puzzle and this book has some great ones. They are great for making a long road trip more interesting. I am in college and I love them but so does my mom and younger sister. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes lateral thinking games.

My 7th grade Algerbra teacher used this book in his class. It was really fun and challenges the mind. Its fun for all ages. If you're a Math teacher, or any type of teacher you should use this with your class to exercise their brains.