Review: Usborne Puzzle Adventures

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love puzzles.  This series of books is one of the reasons of that.  I remember finding these books in the most random little bookstores when my parents took us camping and never when I actively looked for them.  Even nowadays, the only place I can find them cheap and new is directly from the publisher.

Each book follows the same formula with a different story: an opening page explaining how the book works, a puzzle to solve on most pages, one page of hints in case the puzzles confound you, and then pages of answers for each puzzle.  These puzzles aren't just random puzzles, but help immerse you even more into the story.  Sometimes the characters receive a coded message that you must decipher to understand what the characters know.  Sometimes you have to go back to previous pages looking for something the characters just remembered.  You are not supposed to read ahead in the story until you solve each puzzle.

Most of the books in the series are meant for children, so the puzzles aren't super hard, but harder than you'd expect.  A few of the books are the "advanced series", which even give my puzzle-solving brain a run for its money.  Much like choose your own adventure stories, the interactivity really helps you feel more a part of the story and at the same time, the puzzles are a good exercise for your observation skills and logic.

If you have any kids, I highly recommend this series for them, I guarantee at least one story will intrigue them and then they'll be hooked.  Even if you don't have kids, I'd recommend this series to anyone who enjoys good puzzles.  Just keep in mind that if you do buy from the publisher, don't be confused by the occasional British term (I got confused for a bit when the text said some kids were running around with torches and the pictures showed flashlights).