Games World of Puzzles December 2017

Believe it or not, 2017 is already winding down, and so we welcome you to the December issue of GAMES WORLD OF PUZZLES. As always, we strive to end the year on a high note by bringing you a special issue jam-packed with your favorite puzzles and features. As he does every December, our longtime game reviewer Thomas L. McDonald reveals his picks for Game of the Year, both electronic and traditional, along with winners in four different categories. If you’re still on the hunt for holiday gifts for the gamers in your life, turn to “The Year’s Best Games” (page 32) for some great ideas.

In addition to the expanded year-end game review section, our December issue wouldn’t be complete without a few holiday-themed puzzles. To fill that bill, we present “Christmas Tree Sudoku” (page 50), “Whiteout!” (page 29), and “Holiday Turning Points” (page 19), which inspired this issue’s festive cover design. Even Raymond Simon got in the holiday mood, devoting his usual “Game On!” page to a special Christmas acrostic.

Puzzle fans will also enjoy “Stamp Sequences” (page 38), in which author Paddy Smith draws on his extensive stamp collection to create an amusing exercise in sequential logic. Other puzzle highlights include “LogiSquares” (page 54) and “Mixed Triples” (page 22) for those who can’t get enough of “Mixed Doubles” (page 3).

And of course that’s not all. If you need a break from puzzling, check out “I Am Everywhere: A Profile of Max Favalelli” (page 40). In this piece, authors Jonathan Schmalzbach and Francine Varner take a look at the life and work of France’s Favalelli, an iconic verbicruciste (cruciverbalist) who passed away in 1989. It might be helpful if you can read some French, but even if you can’t, we think you’ll still find this piece fascinating if you like crosswords or just words in general.

We at GAMES WORLD OF PUZZLES wish you a joyous and peaceful holiday season. See you in the New Year!