About my ratings

Perhaps because of my day job, I'm a tough rater. Everything 3/5 and above I consider worth the time and money. If I purchase on Etsy or a similar platform and the puzzle is as expected, I will give a top rating on the platform because of how seller ratings work, but here "as expected" is probably a 3/5 in most cases.

Thursday, September 30, 2021

Diane Adolph, Pickle Boat

 Puzzle Lab, 300 pieces. Another of their "trying something new" puzzles, this one with multipiece whimsies including two substantial ones. Love the image; the boat whimsy did fall into the trap that seems laid for new whimsy-makers where the whimsy is sized completely differently than other pieces. The fiddly tiny rectangles were not optimal. Still I appreciate the ambition! 3/5



multipiece hydroplane

bird


person towing suitcase (the black back makes it almost as hard to see as it is from the front!)

big boat, little rectangles


Fancy Cut

 Jigsaw Art/Thom Spencer, 323 pieces. Another wonderful puzzle with very high difficulty--the same color pieces can touch, so it's pure shape matching. 8/10 Stave scale.


an hour or so in

look at that diabolical join--a secret dropout!

(mumble) more hours



Wednesday, September 29, 2021

I Go to Pieces abstract

 Trove, 250 pieces. Another nicely done Wentworth-ish puzzle. 3/5





Harbour Homes, Diane Adolph

 Puzzle Lab, 300 pieces. This maker is expanding its offerings, with this shaped puzzle with a few whimsies showing great potential. 3/5

Why did the pictures come out in opposite order, Blogger? ugh.



two-piece seal

bird

otter

crab whimsy in two pieces at L

Really big dropouts!


Geoffrey Gersten, Poker Tree

 Artifact, 288 pieces. The standout here: the whimsies, poker and Las Vegas-themed. Multipiece horses (sadly only one of two closeups turned out), a greyhound, etc. Very cute. 3/5



one horse and jockey

die (poker?)

BAR sign

croupier (again, for poker?)

hard to see but that's a multipiece T-rex

greyhound

robot, sure

second horse/jockey combo at top R


Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Rainbow Eucalytus, Ahnna Galena

 Bewilderness, 173 pieces. Nicely challenging geometric cut for its size. 3/5




9 Donuts

 Trove, 250 pieces. Attractively packaged, relatively standard Wentworth-ish puzzle. 3/5




Hawaiian Islands

 Liberty, 722 pieces. Impressive in size and some very nice multipiece whimsies, along with a surprising amount of color variation. 4/5




compass rose with pineapple; fish along the bottom; note the surfer hitting the border line at bottom R

multipiece bird, jellyfish, turtle

orca!

hand with aloha gesture

shark

traditionally dressed figure looming over ship

multipiece face above Liberty eagle, turned upside down by one computer program not talking to another

face under volcano


Thursday, September 23, 2021

Night Wolves

 Zumah, 290 pieces. I liked this one better than Royal Phoenix--interesting image idea; no real disproportion in piece sizes; and some clever things including a werewolf. 3/5




werewolf on mid left, above the wolves/moon