Thrift Treasure: IQ Link

I mentioned in our last Thrift Treasure that we were enjoying a new type of game, the single-player puzzle. This week we have another to show you that is still on the shelves and is just as hard (if not harder) than any we’ve encountered. IQ Link from Smart Toys and Games is an inexpensive puzzler that you’ll find on the racks of Toys R Us and Walmart next to the other card and dice games.

The premise is very straightforward – you set up your board in a starting position as shown in the included booklet. Your goal is to fit the rest of the plastic pieces onto the board without moving any of the starting ones. All 24 pieces must fit and there is only one solution to each puzzle.

The beginner’s level is very easy and is done to get you accustomed to how to play. Each level is progressively harder and once you’ve mastered the 24 “Starter” levels, it is time to move on to the “Junior” section.

Even these were no match for our 10yr-old daughter, who finished them in no time at all. However, the next section was a different story.

Dubbed “Expert”, even though you begin with half of the pieces in place, it proved very challenging for all of us. Each expert-level puzzle took us a good 15 minutes each, and considering this thrift store find only set us back 88 cents, we had already gotten our money’s worth.

But that’s not all! There are two more sections after “Expert” called “Master” and “Wizard” that we could not solve right away! A total of 120 challenges are included in this base game and I don’t see us completing all of them any time soon.

You can find IQ Link at your local retailer or online for around $10. Smart Toys and Games has a whole line of this type of puzzle challenge, so be sure to check out their website to see if one is a fit for your family!