Lonpos Brainintelligent Company
MicAmericas Inc.
www.micamericas.com
PO Box 22035
Savannah, GA 31403
877-642-6642 or 912-238-0016
The game is a small hard plastic box that opens like a clamshell, about the
size of three checkbooks stacked one on top of the other. On the back there are
indentations in the shape of a square for the pyramid game. Inside the box is
a large rectangle of indentations. These indentations hold twelve plastic pieces
made from plastic balls; each piece is a different color and shape. There are
also two instruction booklets, with games presented in order of increasing difficulty.
Most of the games are for the rectangle game, but there are some for the pyramid
game as well. The booklets contain 256 of the 360,984 rectangle game possibilities
and 47 of the 2,582 pyramid possibilities. Each week the designer publishes a
new game on this website: www.lon-pos.com/en/areaq.htm
To play, dump all the pieces into the lid, select a puzzle from the book, place the shown pieces in the case according to the puzzle picture and then solve the placement of the remaining pieces to complete a rectangle or pyramid. The box recommends this particular game for age 8 and up. However, my 3½-year-old can easily solve the easiest two or three levels. The first level, which requires placing one piece to solve, is categorized in the booklet as "so easy that even kindergarteners can do it. Best for hand and eye coordination training." The second level, which requires placing two pieces to solve, is categorized as "so simple even the dullest kids in your class can do it. A puzzle a day keeps your brain active." The more difficult levels require quite a bit of thinking and problem solving, as more and more pieces must be placed by the player. At first it was difficult for my 3½ -year-old to figure out how to place the pieces, but once I showed her that the puzzle map had the colors and shapes of each piece and to match the shape and orientation of the piece in her hand to the shape and orientation in the book and then lay it down in the same place on the grid, she got really excited and began to play on her own. While this game was not created with homeschoolers in mind, it teaches logic, hand-eye coordination, colors, and discernment of shapes--and it is fun.
I love this game. It is small enough to fit in a purse and take with you to the doctor's office or in the car, and it is engaging enough for our whole family--from the 3-year-old to the parents. I would change couple of minor things about the construction of the game but not the game itself. At first, the box did not stay open very well because there is a small piece of plastic connecting the two halves. I worry that over time this will break. I would also love to see it made magnetic so that the pieces would stay if bumped while in the car, especially when they are loose in the lid. This game has been a great addition to our collection of games and puzzles, and I highly recommend it.
Product review by Marisa Corless, MH, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, March 2010
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