| Brand: | Think Fun | ||
| Average Rating |
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An ancient mystery is reinvented for mind-bending, modern-day fun. Gordian’s Knot Brainteaser Challenge from ThinkFun is based on the Gordian knot tied by Midas. The Great Oracles proclaimed that the person who solved the puzzle would rule the world. This colorful knot features six interlocking pieces, but it takes a whopping 69 different moves to take the knot apart. By sliding the six pieces past each other, the Gordian’s Knot will come apart. Some pieces will easily move throughout the process, but beware — that doesn’t mean you made the right move.
Game comes with a 40-page, step-by-step solution book in case you get stumped, and helps you put the knot back together once the puzzle is solved. For one player.
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
not my kind of puzzle
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I own many manipulable logic puzzles, including this one. There is one sequence of (69) moves to take it apart, and the exact opposite sequence of steps to put it back together. You can fiddle, fiddle, fiddle and end up going in circles. Nothing about the puzzle seemed to give any clue to what you should do next. The solution manual simply lists the 69 steps to follow to take it apart (flip it over, do it in reverse to put back together). Compare that to something like the Rubik’s cube. ITS manual _explains_ how to solve it. There’s no “do this, this and that and then you’ll be done,” as with this puzzle.
Put simply, I grew bored with the Gordian Knot pretty quickly. For something more interesting, trying Magnif’s Brain Puzzler or Think Fun’s Spin Out. Even though there’s pretty much one way to do those too, there’s logic behind it, that can be figured out; not random moves that have to be guessed.
Fun, but buyer beware.
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
This is a fun puzzle, but buyer beware, it is VERY difficult! If you get frustrated easily you might want to try a different puzzle.
I have several problems with this puzzle. First, it is clear it was designed with children in mind because it is too small for adult hands. I am an average sized guy, not big, but not small either yet I had issues with trying to move some of the pieces because they were too small to grasp properly. I loaned this puzzle to my manager at work who is a very big guy with hands about three times the size of mine and he had even more issues than I did with the puzzle’s size. This puzzle is more suited to adults with small hands or children, but I can’t understand why ThinkFun would design a puzzle this difficult and build it for a child’s hands.
Second, I also had issues with having to ‘force’ some of the pieces to get them to move. For example: the 4th move to solve the puzzle involves moving the yellow piece down. When I began working with the puzzle, I wanted to move the yellow piece down on the 4th move because it looked like it would move, but try as I might, the yellow piece would not budge. I tried moving other pieces then and ended up at a dead end that would only lead to putting the puzzled back to it’s original configuration. I had to peek in the solution book at move number four to figure out where to go next and low and behold, the correct move was to move the yellow piece down as I had originally suspected. I had to use considerable ‘force’ to move that piece even though it was MEANT to move at that point in the solution. I had to force the yellow piece so hard that when it finally moved I dropped the puzzle on the floor (again due to it being too small for adult hands). This is also a chronic problem with the blue and purple pieces as well. I would work with the puzzle some more and get to a point where it looked like the purple or blue pieces SHOULD move but they would not. So I had to go back to the solution again to confirm what I was trying to do was correct, then go back to the puzzle, ‘force’ the blue or purple piece that was SUPPOSED to move and go from there. I had to refer to the solution book 15 times to verify that the piece I was trying to move was the correct one so I could go back to the puzzle and ‘force’ the piece. This irritates the heck out of me because I could have solved this puzzle WITHOUT looking at the solution book if the pieces would have just moved when they were supposed to.
I also have an issue with the solution book itself. I did NOT find any mistakes in it, but it is so cheaply bound that turning the pages is almost impossible. The book is bound with this cheap, plastic wiring that makes turning the pages nearly impossible and also makes it hard to keep the book open to a particular page. I don’t know why ThinkFun didn’t make this solution book a booklet with two staples in the middle as the binding. It would have made turning the pages much easier and would have allowed the player to keep the book open to certain pages a manageable task.
This puzzle is not very educational either. There is no real ‘logic’ to use in order to solve Gordian’s Knot, just CAREFULLY observe where the pieces are as the puzzle evolves toward the solution and eventually you will get it (even if you have to ‘force’ pieces to do so). If you want a puzzle that uses ‘logic’ instead of ‘forcing’ pieces try Top Spin. I bought Top Spin when ThinkFun used to be the company Binary Arts. Top Spin is based on the Gray Binary System so if you learn the ‘logic’ behind that you will find Top Spin very enjoyable.
If you are a patient, intelligent adult with small hands or have a bright child, Gordian’s Knot might be for you. Especially if you don’t mind a shoddy solution book and ‘forcing’ pieces that is. If you want a puzzle that requires ‘logic’ instead of ‘forcing’ pieces, try Top Spin instead.
It’s cool, fun, frustrating, and colorful
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I saw this item on a TV show, and was immediately interested in it. I got in soon after my order, and I was not disappointed. It took a while to take it apart, and even longer to reassemble it. After that, I finally looked at the directions and was amazed that is was simpler, yet more difficult, to do than I thought. I still have fun trying to take it apart, now for time. I think I’ll keep this one for a long time.
Fun, but a little easier than I thought
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I thought this puzzle was going to be a real brain buster, but I worked out the puzzle in less than 2 hours. The product claims to have thousands of possible moves with only 65 correct moves, but it doesn’t seem like there are that many ways to move the pieces once you get going. Simple trial an error will work out this puzzle rather quickly, and doesn’t require as much thinking as I would have liked. However, it’s durable and fun nonetheless.
Knot Your Typical Puzzle!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
It took me about 1.5 hours of continuously working on it to solve this puzzle, with zero help from a booklet or interwubs. I was in one of those moods where I wanted to be engrossed in a puzzle and this one surely fit the bill! It’s difficult to put down once you start playing with it, but don’t anticipate solving it unless you have some serious time on your hands. Reassembling it is also a major challenge, but I think I’m going to use the instructional video to do that. Then I’ll attempt to solve it again and find out if I can do it any quicker the second time around
Fun, but difficult
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Using the booklet included with the product, it was pretty easy to take the knot apart, but difficult to put back together.
Pretty fun but not for tease and long
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This toy is pretty fun to jiggle pieces around and put them apart then put them together once again. Although I did not find myself “teased” by this product, it was worth playing.
Not a Gordian Knot
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This should be listed as “Gordian’s Knot” not “Gordian Knot”! Actually I don’t think this puzzle looks much like a knot anyway. However the good folks at ThinkFun wisely renamed it because “Extreme Torture” probably wouldn’t sell well.
Extreme torture is more like what you will experience, however. This puzzle is diabolically difficult and you can almost feel the computer program that designed the beast lurking inside the plastic, scheming to cut off every easy and quick solution. The solution booklet is great, although you may be tempted to reach for it too quickly. If you mess with the puzzle for too long you can be in trouble, because the solution booklet only helps if you are near the starting position!
The solution booklet quips: “no trick moves or rotating of pieces is required to solve the puzzle!”. What this leaves out is that a solution can be found more quickly if you rotate pieces. The computer program did not consider such moves so this is one way to outwit the designer. Beware, however, you may get your puzzle into such a snarl in this way you can never get it apart or back together!
A very unique puzzle!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
When I first came across the Gordians Knot I knew I was in for a real treat….this puzzle is very tough!There were so many great puzzles made over the past 30 years and yet the Rybiks has always remained the top seller-I don’t know why if you solve it,the motivation is gone to constantly solve it repetively.Gordian’s Knot is the newest addition to the puzzle cube market and hopefully becomes a milestone like the Rubik’s Cube.It’s certainly more challenging,I got stuck in so many spots I scanned across the steps to see what I was in for….alot of practice/patience to accomplish:)HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Is definately a mind teaser
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
There is no way anyone can figure this out. Maybe a little too complicated. Great for someone who thinks they can figure anything out.
good idea, poor execution.
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I ordered this for my son, who is young (7) but loves these kinds of things. Knowing he would need the assembly instructions I was happy to know they were included. He actually got it apart on his own!! But the problem now is there is a misprint on the assembly guide. Steps 9 and 10 are missing and 13 is printed twice. I hoped to find an online guide but I can’t find one. I hope someone uploads one soon. Until then, I’m disappointed.
Great little puzzle
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I was in a bookstore that had one of these on demo, and my friends and I (all around 20 years old) took turns fiddling with it until we finally had it apart. So no, it’s not impossible like another reviewer said. But it is maddenly difficult, as you can’t always tell if you are moving in the right direction. The solutions manual is worthless if you’ve already progressed too far (not to mention that’s not fun anyway), but taking it apart is easier than putting it back together, so it is good for reassembly.
My favorite thing about this is that it is lightweight and durable, easily set down for later or passed to another person.
Great deal and takes forever to solve
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
It took me a couple of days of casual tinkering to get this thing apart. The booklet says that this design was generated by a computer program to be the most difficult possible 6-piece puzzle and I believe it.
It’s not overwhelming; there’s at most only a few different positions to move to at one time. The problem is keeping track of where you are and what positions you’ve already visited. You can’t just randomly twiddle pieces because with 60 moves you’ll never get even one piece out.
This was fun but somewhat frustrating. I did it without any help from the booklet and thought I had it mastered but then I tried beating it again and couldn’t easily get the first piece out. I haven’t touched it since. Once you defeat it it’s just tedious.
fascinating to 30 year old son & wife
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
My 30 year old son couldn’t put this down for days after opening it. It’s a great challenging time consuming idea.
Vey Fun And Chalenging Puzzle
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The ThinkFun Gordians Knot is a wonderful puzzle that any person at any age can enjoy. It is very challenging and I have not yet gotten mine taken apart. It is nice to know that it comes with instructions, however, I plan not to use them. But it is still nice to know that there is a safety net if you absolute can not solve it. It is very durable and can be set down at any stage of the puzzle and will remain in that shape, until you are ready to work with it again. I highly recommend this great puzzle to anyone who is looking for a fun and chalenging brain teaser to figure out.
great for road trips!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This was a lot of fun to work out. The instructions book is a little annoying because the pages get stuck in the spiral until it is well worn!
Great for adults with patient
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Finding a solution takes at least a couple of hours for an adult with some skills and experiences on brain teasers. Putting it back after dissembling is near to impossible without looking into the manual. You need to be observant and persistent to enjoy the toy.
toughie
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
One of the better puzzles I have worked. Put your thinking caps on for this one. I can see that it would be excellent for developing spatial reasoning skills. Probably not for the very young
An amazingly hard puzzle
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
With many puzzles, a few moves will completely take the puzzle apart. They don’t allow much playing around. A successful disassembly may mean that the puzzle is undisplayable and put away, sometimes forever.
Gordian’s Knot requires lots of moves to take apart — over 60 — more than any simple 6-piece puzzle. Thus, it can be fiddled with and set down again in a perfectly presentable state. Taking a puzzle apart is generally more fun than putting one together. Myself, I have thousands of puzzles, but this is the one that I’ve played with the most, due to the fact that I don’t have to do any clean up when I set the puzzle down again.
KNOT too easy!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this as a gift for a puzzle lover and then couldn’t resist getting one for myself. It is frustrating fun at the highest level. A challenge you will not be able to put down. I even had trouble taking it apart and putting it back together without the written directions. I have yet to do it on my own even after doing it with instructions once. The written history of the Gordian Knot and directions are done in a concise, interesting, and understandable accompanying book. It is hours of fun and challenging for all levels. If you like Rubik’s cube and chess, you will love this as you definitely have to plot your moves ahead to be sure you are going in the right direction.
What a challenge
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Very nice puzzle… SO DIFFICULT!!!
I’m a Rubik fan, but this one has nothing to do. MUCH more difficult as it doesn’t seem to have any logic or pattern. If you are tired of “easy” ones, thi is the one to try. If you like being able to solve puzzles in a few hours, this is not your game.