Customer Reviews

Mindware Square Up

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I got this for our (at the time) 9 year old son. It is fun to play and a challenge for a child. As an adult, it is easy to figure out that the outer ring of squares can be used to move the inner set of nine into place. Once you get the gist of this, it is easy to complete the puzzle in less than a minute. This makes it tough because children take quite a bit longer.
So, the point is that the challenge is not there for adults (but it is really a child's game) so be prepared to take your time while playing.

The game is well made, colorful and durable.
We also do pattern play and other harder puzzles that are suggested in the directions.

I have to add that after its initial thrill, it is not a game my son has gone back to a lot.

I was disappointed to see that the colored tiles are not interlocking, but are loose in the provided playing tray. I am sure they move a lot faster this way - which is necessary as you try to win a race, but that makes it also one more game where you have to have all pieces or it becomes useless. The little shaking thingies to set the pattern are easily offset, so make sure you are putting them on firm ground. They are also small and a bit hard to recognize. The cardboard box to store it all could be made better, it's a flap opening box instead of a base and lid box.
Altogether it's a nice idea, but as a perfectionist, it also leaves me a bit unsatisfied that you only match up the inner nine color pieces, not the whole tray. That would take longer and would be a bigger challenge, but feasible. The game could have pattern cards where both players need to complete the same pattern with all tiles. Just an idea...

This is one of the best toys I've purchased. I bought it for my 8 year old daughter and she loves is. One big draw back is the tiles come out. Little did I know she took it to her grandmothers house to play and lost 4 of the tiles so it is useless now. She only had it a week.

My six year old got this for Christmas. It took him awhile to figure out how to move around the blocks, and get the pattern to match. Now that he has it figured out, he likes to play it. I would definitely recommend this game.

I bought this for my third grade class. I was able to show them how to play it in just minutes. They were immediately intrigued, and the first person who got to choose a game, chose this one. I actually had other students standing around it to watch, when they could have been playing a different game themselves. It's a fairly simple game, but it was perfect for them.

Update-It's now been over a month and this game is still very popular. We have a game reward every Friday afternoon, and this game continues to be one of the first games chosen. I'm considering buying another one.

This game is very easy to learn and play and is quite addicting. Sometimes you will be lightening fast and other times not so much. Does the brain work more efficiently at various times of the day? Our family of 5 has play offs with the winner continuing to play. The winner tends to vary depending upon time of day. We really love this game! We even tend to play on our own and have fun as well!

I bought this for my daughter for Christmas after she noticed in a toy catalog. I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that there are 2 sets of boards & cubes (I did not understand this from the game description), so you can play head-to-head games. We have used it to just challege ourselves (by "we" I mean Mom & Dad have had fun with it as well as my 7 year old daughter).

The game is excellent for planning, spatial and problem-solving skills and seems durable enough. My only concern is that the tiles are not "locked" into the trays, so they could fall out if it were to fall & the cover open, but that has not happened yet. The game is great because my daughter can play against someone or simply play by herself.

Glad I made this purchase & I would recommend it to anyone.

My sons teacher bought this game for her class and he just loves it. He wants me to buy it for him! We havn't bought the game yet, but the way he explaned it to me it's a great game for all ages. He said that it's great for 1 or 2 players. I think the best use would be at parties so everyone can play. It's a fast game.Overall, my son rates this game as 5 stars.

I bought this game for my 8 year-old grandson, who receives resource room services in school. His first response was, "This is so hard," but he kept going back to the game all day to play. He was thrilled to be able to figure out each line of the pattern. His 9 year old sister also delighted in the challenge, comparing it to Rubik's Cube.

Really, really fun, fast game. The construction is not wonderful but it's okay. I wish the box were nicer since you need to store it in a box.