Perplexus Puzzle Ball - Review

I'm so excited to show you this new toy. It's called Perplexus and it is a puzzle ball. Well, it's so much more than that. It's the ultimate toy for future engineers! It's like a pinball machine that is powered by gravity and ingenuity. When I opened it, I knew at least one of my teenaged sons would be totally enraptured by it. Since it's a ball, there is also a small display stand included.

I happened to be opening it during the day when the daycare kids were here and they were fascinated with the Perplexus. My four year olds wanted to see it so I handed it to a four year old boy (notice the crafted superhero cape). As he turned it over and over, looking at all the little tracks inside, a four year old girl stood nearby, desperately waiting her turn to get her hands on it.

He finally relented and let her hold it. She asked me, "What is it?" I said, "It's called Perplexus." She furrowed her eyebrows together and said, "What does that mean?" I told her the name of it likely derived from the word perplexing, which means confusing or puzzling. She tilted her head to the side and said, "Well, it's definitely confusing me!"

After the little ones all got a turn to try and make the ball roll in the tracks of the Perplexus, I placed it on the kitchen table, in anticipation of it capturing my teens' attention. It simply called out to John, who is 17. As soon as dinner was over, he grabbed it.

He didn't move from the table. He sat there, totally involved in the puzzle. It has a specific starting point and you have to work through three checkpoints to solve it. You have to turn it in specific ways to work with gravity, while keeping it in the tracks.

In about fifteen minutes, my 17 year old worked through the entire puzzle and landed it on the little pedestal, also known as the "solution" to the puzzle. I have not seen him this excited about a toy in years. He can't wait to take it to school to show his friends. He's already laid claim to it. My husband is working on it now. It's going to be really interesting around here if he can't solve it in less than 15 minutes!

This is an awesome toy. ALL people need to play with toys; not just kids. If you like puzzles, you will LOVE Perplexus made by PlaSmart Inc! Find them online, and connect with them on Facebook and Twitter. This is definitely a FIVE STAR toy.
Disclosure: I received this product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.