Move your fingers—jog your brain with ZenBenders, success is just a flip and slide away. Select a challenge card and flip and slide the special ZenBender dice to recreate the pattern. With three levels of difficulty and 36 different patterns, there’s a challenge for everyone. Flip and slide the ZenBenders dice to match the picture on a Challenge Card. Just select a Challenge Card. There are three levels of difficulty: beginner (yellow), intermediate (green), and advanced (blue). Place the Challenge Card into the groove on the side of the puzzle holder so that it can be easily viewed. Remove the Out of the Box die and set it aside. This die is used to lock the ZenBenders puzzle in place during storage. Flip and slide the ZenBenders dice to match the picture on the Challenge Card. Dice MAY NOT be removed from the holder in order to solve the puzzle. Solve all 36 Challenges and be a ZenBenders Master!

These are similar to the small “slide” puzzles that challenge players to push and slide eight squares inside a frame in an effort to form the desired picture or configuration. I grew up with them. There was always one in my school bag for the bus ride to and from. Out of the Box Games has taken the slide puzzle concept to an entirely new level. The Zen Benders series features six sided cubes instea dof flat squares with each side depicting a different piece of the finished picture. Now, players must not only slide the cubes within the frame, but they must also flip the cubes over and over to get to the desired side. Since the cubes cannot be lifted out of the frame, they must be in the proper position – adjacent to the open space in the frame – in order to be flipped. I’m not a statistician, but I can appreciate that the number of moves required to successfully complete the puzzle has increased exponentially.

The Zen Benders series is nicely packaged in a compact, round container that can fit easily inside your pocket, briefcase or pack pack. The number and increasing difficulty levels of the challenge cards, insures that each installment in the series remains fresh for a considerable period of time. The portability of the puzzles is a HUGE plus, as folks can enjoy them in so many situations,i.e.; on a plane, bus, train or automobile, waiting for an appointment, or even instead of a magazine while you relax! They even make for a great end-table diversion for waiting rooms, as guests and visitors are sure to be attracted with them.

Want more of a challenge? Race the clock! Time yourself to see if you can improve your speed! Race your friends, if two or more players each have the same ZenBenders puzzle, they can race each other. Players begin with the dice in the same positions and remove the Out of the Box die to signal start. The first player to complete the puzzle and replace the Out of the Box die, wins.

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