Games World of Puzzles April 2020

Isn’t April awesome? Here at GAMES WORLD OF PUZZLES, we certainly think so. A little warm air and a fresh carpet of green grass are all it takes to put the winter doldrums behind us.

We also think that springtime feeling shines through in the April issue, which you’re holding in your hands. Between the puzzles and the articles, it’s as if a variety of game-related goodness sprang up overnight!

To begin with, there’s Tyler Davidson’s feature article about a merry band of game show enthusiasts based in Southern California: “You’re the Next Contestant: Home Game Entertainment Brings the Fun” (page 34). This bunch enjoyed watching game shows so much as kids, that they’ve turned their childhood passion into an amusing entertainment option for adults. No, you might never make it into Jeopardy! but if you attend one of the region’s many cons, you could get the chance to match wits against these guys. Give it a spin!

One of the great things about game shows is the way they bring together a nationwide audience. But we’ve got 50 states in this nation of ours, and it’s no surprise that Texans have got a game of their own, 42. This trick-taking game was created by two young Baptist boys—after they’d been punished by their parents for playing cards! If you’re curious to learn more about the history and strategy of 42, take a gander at Joe Celko’s informative article, “Avoiding the Devil’s Picture Book” (page 40).

By this point, I’ll bet you’re itching to do some puzzle-solving. Longtime contributor Raymond Young really got into the spirit of things by contributing two amusing puzzles: “St. PA-Trick’s Day” (page 14), a pa-rticularly enjoyable puzzle pa-ckaged as a crisscross, and “Wabbit Season!” (page 15), a silly springtime word-find. Crossword lovers will surely savor Lynn Lempel’s tasty offering, “What’s for Dinner?” (page 7). There are plenty of other crosswords in this issue, but be careful not to gorge yourself before attempting “Balancing Act 2020,” a challenging headscratcher from Eric Friedman that we guarantee old Archimedes would enjoy (page 49).

As you work your way through the pencil puzzles, be sure to take a break by perusing the rest of our regular features. In “This Old Game” (page 43), Jonathan Schmalzbach trots out a vintage horse-racing game called Sweeps, and Raymond Simon looks into some recent overlap between music and games in “Game On!” (page 48).

But most of all, get outside and enjoy the sunshine!