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Puzzles
Puzzles are problems that challenge one's analytical skills. They are usually intended to be solved either by coming up with a desired picture, shape, or solution. Solutions to puzzles are often attained by digging out hidden patterns.
Puzzles have already been used thousands of years ago in different civilisations. Ancient people used puzzles in their religious and mystical practices. They were also used for leisure and learning.
Puzzles come in varieties, which may be categorised into the following:
*Transport puzzles. These puzzles allow the player to travel around a particular landscape through toy items. Examples of these are tour puzzles such as labyrinths, mazes, and Sokoban-type puzzles. Other transport puzzles do not require player representation in the game. Examples of these are cubes, sliding, train shunting, and river-crossing puzzles.
*Construction puzzles. These puzzles involve assembling puzzle pieces into a "goal" or desired form. Examples of these are stick, mechanical, packing and tiling puzzles.
*Stick puzzles. These puzzles involve assembling polysticks into multi-dimensional figures.
*Mechanical puzzles. These puzzles involve assembling mechanically interlinked components into a "goal figure." There are some mechanical puzzles that involve disentanglement of certain components from the others (disentanglement puzzles).
*Tiling puzzles. These puzzles are composed of 2-dimensional puzzle pieces, which have to be assembled and arranged to form other figures.
*Logic puzzles. These puzzles involve mathematical and deduction analysis.
*Jigsaw puzzles. These puzzles involve several puzzle pieces, which have to be arranged to form a bigger picture. The first jigsaw puzzles were called "dissected maps." They were first made in 1760 when a mapmaker named John Spilsbury mounted a map on wood and carefully cut along the edges of countries. Spilsbury's puzzles were then reproduced for use in the academe. They were used as aid in teaching geography to British students.
Other types of puzzles. These include popular word puzzles and meta-puzzles, which involve combinations of the mechanics or elements in other puzzles.
Puzzles come in such wide varieties but they all work on one underlying goal-- to come up with a solution through thinking and analysing. They are appealing to kids and even adults, because they are entertaining, challenging, and even educational. Puzzles of different kinds may be found online. Some are downloadable, while others, such as those that need specialised toys or objects, are sold or auctioned off.