German company Kosmos proves that not all puzzle games have to be relatively flat with its addicting, yet challenging, game Dimension. Dimension is a fast-paced puzzle game that is extra cool because it takes place in 3-D. Players play at the same time, trying to position the colorful spheres on their trays to earn as many points as possible. The task cards indicate how players can place the spheres in each round. For example: Exactly two orange spheres must be on the tray, black and blue spheres cannot touch each other, white spheres cannot touch green ones, and so on. Each round is timed, adding for an extra challenge.
This game is especially great because you never play the same way twice. Task cards are shuffled so each round comes up different every time, allowing not only the six rounds to be different, but each game to feature completely different puzzles. Players score points for each sphere they place on the tray, and bonus tokens for using all five colors if you complete all the tasks. However, if you don’t complete tasks, you lose two points for each one. And trust me, you can confidently finish a round and then be devastated when the last-minute switch you made actually means a green sphere was touching a blue one when it wasn’t allowed.
Up to four players ages 8 and up can play against each other for some friendly competition, but one of the great things about Dimension is that it can actually be played as a single-player logic puzzle. The gameplay only takes about 30 minutes when you have multiple players, but a single player can usually finish it up quicker than that, so it serves as a nice little break in the middle of your day to give your mind a boost and get the creativity flowing again.
Dimension (and other Kosmos games) are made available in the U.S. this year through Thames & Kosmos.
