Katamino Compact Travel Pentominoes Style Puzzle

Before I start reviewing this product, I think it should be known what "pentominoes" are. They are a complete set of all of the shapes which can be made out of five squares placed adjacent to one another. Each shape is made out of 5 squares, and there are 12 possible shapes. (a little mental challenge is to come up with the 12 shapes on your own using a piece of graph paper) Pentominoes are well known in the puzzle community, and there are many challenges and games already out there to play with using a set of pentominoes. There is one more twist/bonus to owning a good set of pentominoes -- when the thickness of each shape is equal to the squares that it's made of, in other words, each pentomino is made out of five cubes! So you have 12 shapes which can be placed flat like puzzle pieces and do all of the games and challenges which work with pentominoes, BUT you also have the ability to go 3-dimensions and stack the pieces and fit them in another way. Enough of this for now, and let's go to the product, Katamino Compact Travel Pentominoes Style Puzzle.This Katamino puzzle is a complete set of Pentominoes made out of cube-measurement pieces so that the 12 shapes can be placed flat in a 6x10 or 5x12, 4x15, and even 3x20 rectangular shapes, with the added bonus of being 3-D worthy so you can stack a shape 3x4x5, for instance, as well as all of the other 3 dimensional challenges out there. This particular product is even better than a good set of 3D pentominoes! It is actually a game with levels of play. There are challenges to fit a certain number of pieces into the tray... which is adjustable using a 'bar' that you can move to reduce the size of the puzzle. (the smaller the space.. the easier the puzzle, actually, because you have extra pieces to give you more options) The 'bar' happens to be 5 squares in size, so each smaller space gives you one more 'extra' piece to work with to solve the puzzle. I don't want to get confusing, but for pentomino "affectionados" this is a complete set of 12 'flat' shapes of thickness 1, not to be confused with a 3D set of pentomino cubes (which is another story)The box/container/game itself is well made with a hinged lid and a drawer with booklet. I find the booklet a little confusing, but the game-tray with pieces and movable spacer is perfect. I like the adjustable challenge, and the portability. I just put a rubberband around it when I throw it in my backpack, don't want to lose a piece.

very cool toy...wife builds puzzles a lot and she loves this as well,,,haven't quite figured it out all yet,,but sure she will...30k plus challenges I think,,should keep her busy,,,save me money on jigsaw puzzles,,lol

Small, easy to carry, excellent puzzle....it takes a great deal of time to solve all challenges.It is NOT electronic!😀

Almost endless variation. Perfect size and shape for travel.