KEN KEN Electronic Handheld Game

by iToys Inc.

Product Features

• Backlit touch screen with stylus included
• Includes thousands of puzzls for hours of endless challenge
• 10 levels of difficulty with timer and scoring built into unit
• Hint tool for assistance when needed
• Compact design great for travel

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.5 x 1 x 4.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B001KW08HC
• Item model number: 02319
• Manufacturer recommended age: 8 - 15 years
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,996 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
  • #61 in Toys & Games > Electronics for Kids > Handheld Games
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

KENKEN is Japan's hottest brain game with a mathematical twist. This easy to use handheld electronic game is the perfect portable puzzle to sharpen your math and logic skills.

Product Description

KEN KENTM is the new Sudoku! KEN KENTM is Japan's hottest new brain game with a mathematical twist! This easy to use handheld electronic game is the perfect portable puzzle to sharpen your math and logic skills.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

73 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Ok, but not the quality I expected, February 18, 2009

By 

Snapdragon - See all my reviews

= Durability:2.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:1.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: KEN KEN Electronic Handheld Game (Toy)

First, I must tell you that I am addicted to Kenken puzzles... on paper. I also greatly enjoy Sudoku and own two different handheld electronic versions of that game. So, when an electronic version of Kenken hit the market, I was ready for it. Drooling, in fact.
My Kenken arrived today. After opening it and feeding it the requisite triple-As, I started in on the play time. First thing I noticed was that there was no light. I searched around the outside of the toy for a light switch (like on my Sudoku), but couldn't find one. So, I had to go to the instructions. They were in English (yay!) and I found that by using the stylus and poking in just the right spot on the screen, I could turn on the light. So far, so good. The stylus is much more flexible than my other handheld electronic puzzles- one might even call it 'cheap'... The light must be cheap, too- it goes out every 30 seconds and you have to re-touch the one tiny little spot on the screen to re-light. Only be careful! If you touch too far to the left, you reset the whole game you have been working on and the timer keeps on ticking. Very frustrating. No- make that ANNOYING AS ALL-GET-OUT!!!
The game started on level 1 which is a 3 x 3 puzzle. Too easy. So, I tried to find a way to change levels- hoping to get a 6 x 6 puzzle. The instructions said that I would have a choice of levels each time the game was turned on. Nope. I found level 10 quite by accident. Still too easy on a 4 x 4 grid. I have no idea how to get to the 6 x 6...
After each puzzle, you hit the "done" button. Then, the game tells you if you won or lost. If you won, it tells you how many points you got but you never know if the points are based on how fast you played or how few mistakes you had to correct or if you smiled at it or what. Then, up in the right hand corner or the screen, it displays your score. But- once you play one game, the score stays and doesn't keep adding for each subsequent game. Seems pointless to just have 980 sitting up there and not knowing what it really means. If the machine would just say "YES!" when I finish a puzzle correctly, that would be all I need to keep going...
Wondering what would happen if I didn't win, I did a puzzle wrong and the screen proclaimed "you lose" and then flashed on the parts that were wrong and then very quickly reset the puzzle.
The unit itself feels flimsy- the screen is not very sensitive and I have to tap hard to enter numbers. It's not easy to tap hard with the cheapo stylus. Also, the way in which the numbers are entered is completely backward from my Sudoku game, so I had to really focus on what I was doing.
I guess what I am saying is that I was really disappointed with the product. I still ADORE Kenken, and will continue to do the paper puzzles, but I am not hooked on this handheld. The puzzles are not challenging enough and the product is more expensive than the user friendly, sturdy, mega-screen Sudoku I am used to.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How To Advance To A Bigger Grid, August 18, 2009

By 

Dianne - See all my reviews

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: KEN KEN Electronic Handheld Game (Toy)

If I had read the reviews of the game before purchasing it I might not have but I didn't and I did so I was stuck to on how to get to a bigger grid too. I called the customer support number on the package and got this hint. It worked and I'm now extremely happy with the product (I do use my DS Lite stylus). I figure that if I want to drop back down to a small grid I can always use the reset button. Hope this helps someone:
Hint to move to a bigger grid size:
1. While you are in a game touch "DONE"
2. "LEAVE PUZZLE" will appear on the screen
3. Touch "Y"
4. The game shows a new puzzle.
a. If this is a puzzle you want to try then start playing.
b. If you want a different puzzle, then you must repeat steps 1,2 and 3.
If you follow the steps outlined you will get to larger puzzles. You may have to exit out 20-30 times but eventually you will hit a larger puzzle.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ken Ken not quite what I had hoped for, February 14, 2009

By 

A. Smith (Oregon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: KEN KEN Electronic Handheld Game (Toy)

Product and manual not especially user friendly. Screen a little hard to see. Glad I already understood the game. Has lots of levels. Biggest drawback is the screen. The black lines are quite faint. Hard to see the symbols. Once you say done, if you are wrong, the entire puzzle clears so you can do it again from scratch.