Games World of Puzzles April 2023

If you’re in need of a pick-me-up after a long and dreary winter, look no further than this issue of GAMES WORLD OF PUZZLES. Indeed, the fun starts before you even open the magazine: This month’s cover puzzle invites you to identify the diverse locations of five scenes depicted on vintage postcards. Even if you have no idea where they are, take some time with family and fellow puzzlers to enjoy the scenery.

Next, check out the third installment in Andrew Parr’s series “Discovering Japanese Logic Puzzles” (page 33). Parr, who hails from Ontario, Canada, is on a mission to introduce our readers to some lesser-known types of Japanese logic puzzles that deserve exposure on a grander scale. This month’s column features “Caves,” which challenges solvers to shade cells in the grid to form the walls of a cave in such a way that the unshaded cells remain connected.

Moving on, turn to page 54 to try “Numbers in Lines,” a puzzle by Argentinian puzzle master Rodolfo Kurchan. Kurchan, who is from Buenos Aires, is a prolific puzzle inventor whose work has appeared in many of our recent issues—for example, “Snakes in Boxes” (February) and “Forest of Numbers” (December, with coauthor Claudio Meller).

Our last stop is the USA’s own Jersey Shore—Asbury Park, to be exact. Pretend for a moment that it’s summertime and turn to page 36 to experience Jonathan Schmalzbach’s “Silverball Mania,” a profile of Asbury Park’s Silverball Retro Arcade and Pinball Museum. This piece will take you back to your arcade days (minus the need for quarters). An accompanying article provides an informative overview of the history of pinball.

If all this travel gets to be too much, number and logic aficionados can sit back and enjoy fare like Floris Smith’s “Tectonic” (page 13) and Jack Lechner’s “TriviaLogic: Best Supporting Actress” (page 64). Fans of word puzzles will want to check out Elizabeth Gorski’s “Themeless Special” crossword (page 21) and Adam Fromm’s “Spelunking” variety cryptic (page 62).

So, pack your bags and get ready for a puzzling adventure!