Games World of Puzzles January 2017

As we kick off a new year with this issue of GAMES WORLD OF PUZZLES, we look forward to bringing you a variety of cerebral challenges in 2017. And you have something to look forward to if you’ve got a road trip planned in the near future, or, on the flip side, if you’re stuck with a long, boring commute that you’d like to liven up. Dana Shiflett’s “Word Games on the Road” (page 34) will give you plenty of ideas for entertaining a carload of seasoned puzzlers. There are also simpler games to help younger passengers battle boredom in the backseat. Check out the suggestions before your next trip!

Also in this issue, we have a special treat for music fans. Raymond Simon’s “Pop Quiz” (page 38) is a fun way to test your musical knowledge across a range of genres. None of the questions are too specialized, though: Even if you’re just a casual radio listener who pays some attention to pop culture, we think you’ll fare pretty well.

We’re also excited to bring you this edition of “Your Word Against Mine” (page 42) the Scrabble column by top-ranked player and Scott Appel. Here you can read Scott’s firsthand account of the 2016 North American Scrabble championship, which took place in August in Fort Wayne, Indiana. His account shows how tough it is to play against elite competitors and is definitely worth a read if you’re a Scrabble enthusiast.

Those are just a few of the features in this month’s issue that might catch your eye. In our Pencilwise section, highlights include Rows Garden and Block Lettering by the popular Patrick Berry. Logic enthusiasts will want to try Strimko (page 64, and also featured on this month’s cover). These fun and challenging puzzles by The Grabarchuk family utilize the concept of Latin squares and range in difficulty from easy to fiendishly difficult. All of our usual favorites, like Mixed Doubles, Pencil Pointers, and Paint by Numbers, are there as well. Pick up a pencil and get 2017 off to a smart start!

Finally, a correction: All of the Block-a-Pix puzzles in the October issue, including the example, contain errors that made them unsolvable. This was due to an oversight on our part. We sincerely apologize for any confusion or frustration caused by these mistakes. The corrected pages can be found on the main page of our website, www.gamesmagazine-online.com.