Deducktion

Deducktion

Deducktion is a really simple puzzle by Smart Games which is an educational game company. I like most of the puzzle/games this company produces (not the toys as much) as even though they are educational they are still fun and I think fun is more important than educational.

I haven't said this much in this blog but personally I HATE "educational" labeled games as usually they are bad. They are trying to achieve something parents want without considering that the game needs to be engaging and fun as well.  Also all games are educational you can learn so much from just being in the world around, playing with other people, learning how to take turns etc so why are there specific games centred around education. This is mostly because we want our children having good test scores or going into STEM programs (I realise this isn't always true it just bugs me that it is true sometimes).  Okay off my soapbox.

I always pick games based on whether or not they look fun for me to play, have nice art, are suitable or can be suitable for my child, can travel if that is what I need, and are made of pieces that I can replace if my little one looses them. Most parents don't consider this last one and you should note that Orchard Toys replaces missing pieces for free - so their preschool games can be a really good value for money.

Right, back to Deducktion.  This is a one player magnetic puzzle game that has rules about where/how ducks can be placed on a grid.  It advertises a 6 or up age group but we have been playing it since my son was 3.  The player is trying to solve each of the 48 puzzles included in the game (there is only one way) but they must stay inside the rules created about placing the ducks.  There are small pieces and they are magnetic so please be careful with this game and note that it is not suitable for young children without being monitored.


Game Play

Game play for Deducktion is very simple. There are a few rules about placement (included on the back page of the puzzle) and each puzzle has a solution included.  As my son was a little young for this when we started we have done the Starter puzzles a number of times and have yet to get a Master level one done without significant parent assistance. 

The object of the game is to get all the ducks onto the grid with each colour being adjacent to at least one duck of its colour and the ducks being in rough number order.  I.e. a yellow 1 duck needs to have a yellow 2 duck on a square adjacent to it and a yellow 2 ducks needs a yellow 3 duck adjacent to that and so on.  There are 3 duck colours with 3 different numbers of ducks (yellow has 5, green has 3, and red has 4) which is how each puzzle is able to be solved.  The easier puzzles have a colour and number and a few ducks that "start" the game, where as the more advanced puzzles have a grey duck number and you need to figure out which colour would be able to complete the puzzle with only the number as information. 

The way we play this as a game is one of us takes a turn at a time trying to place the duck in the correct location on the grid.  Playing like this has been important because as we play we remind our son of the rules so that over the course of a year he knows them really well now.  He, after a year of on and off playing, has now do most of the Starter puzzles on his own.  This one to one interaction has been great for travelling as it is magnetic and small so we can play it on our laps while flying or driving.


Review

I really like this puzzle because it is so compact, easy to play and enjoyable for both my son and I. The magnets are good and they come off easily enough for a child but when the game is snapped shut they all stay inside and we haven't lost any despite taking it travelling lots with us.  I also like that now he is able to do some of the puzzles on his own but we haven't gotten to the Master level ones yet so we still will get a few years out of this.  The only negative things I will say is that if you are playing with very young kids the game really has to be one to one and that isn't possible for every parent.  However if you have a 6 year old and you explain the rules I bet they could do it on their own. 

Smart Games have a bunch of other themed puzzles like this as well as a bunch of IQ type puzzles for older kids and adults that are also really fun.  The different themed magnetic ones are different enough that you could own two without crossing over too much.  Eventually we plan on getting the Magic Forest one once we are sick of this duck one as it uses squares with lines and you are trying to make pathways - so slightly different but still enjoyable. Also there is one called Penguin Parade that is labelled at 5 years plus so if you are starting with a young preschooler you might find that one easier, though we have never played that one.

The only thing I dislike about this game is that we have played it so much some of the puzzles pages that are attached through the rings have slightly fallen out, but the price was so cheap (less than £10 I believe) I don't think Smart Games could make it better quality paper without increasing the price a lot.

If you are interested in buying these ask at your Friendly Local Game Store if they sell Smart Games, or check out Smart Games online and they have a search function for the closest retailers.  Before you buy from an online shop check with Smart Games online as they sell them cheaply and might be the best place to get them from.