Games World of Puzzles May 2020

May is such a lovely month. Sure, the kids are still in school, but the warm weather and festive events like Cinco de Mayo and the Kentucky Derby have everyone thinking of summer.

If you’re already in a holiday mood, the May issue of GAMES WORLD OF PUZZLES will appeal to you. It’s got a great mix of challenging puzzles and thoughtful articles.

The role that games and puzzles play in lifelong learning is a discernible thread running through two of this month’s longer pieces. In “Silly Children, Bricks Are for Us” (page 34), longtime contributor Andrew Parr examines the phenomenon of grown-ups who play with Lego. Sometimes, as in the author’s case, it’s prompted by watching your children begin enjoying a toy that you loved as a kid. But there are plenty of reasons for adults to build with these colorful bricks, as Parr learned from an automobile mechanic and a post-doctoral researcher, among others.

The pleasure of using your hands to transform ideas into objects and the mentally stimulating aspect of play aren’t limited to adults. Both begin early in life and are nudged along by games and puzzles. In “Mazes & Brain Games: A Hands-On Experience” (page 40), staff writer Ray Simon examines these issues by visiting an exhibit designed to get kids actively engaged in learning. As far as we’re concerned, going to a museum has never been so much fun.

Right about now you’re probably ready to roll up your sleeves and tackle some puzzles. In a happy coincidence, both Scott Erdman and Raymond Young were thinking about the letter “U.” To test their different approaches to the alphabet’s twenty-first letter, turn to “Ubiquitous U’s” (page 7) and “Single U and Double U” (page 14). As always, there are plenty of great crosswords, including David Alan Van Houten’s GAMES WORLD OF PUZZLES debut, “False Starts” (page 7), and “Compromising Letters,” a variety cryptic from Bob Stigger (page 62). Fans of logic puzzles might want to warm up with Joel Nanni’s “Dicey Decisions” (page 29) before turning to the extra-difficult “Mall Promotions” (page 54) from Margery Albis.

Need to refuel your noggin? Then make a pit stop at “This Old Game” (page 43), where Jonathan Schmalzbach peeks in the rearview mirror at Assembly Line, a vintage game from the heyday of America’s automobile industry.

Just remember to pace yourself; you don’t want to run out of puzzles before Memorial Day weekend is over!