Cat Stax
Overall Rating: 8/10
Age: 10+
GLAM Age Range: 10-Adult
Number of Players: 1
Playing Time: 5 min
Publisher: Brainwright
Complexity: Low-High
Available At: Amazon.com
Quick Take: Cat themed logic puzzle! The cats are your puzzle pieces and there are 48 challenge cards ranging from beginner to expert level. The easier cards take 5 minutes to solve, the expert cards can take a lot longer. There's a dog version if that is your theme of choice. There's also a barnyard themed animal version called Hay Stax that is a little easier and is a great pick for kids ages 6+. These come in a portable little container, this would be a nice activity for bored kids waiting for food at a restaurant.
How to Play: Each challenge card provides a grid in which you must place the kitties selected on the top of the card. There will be no open spaces when you have placed all the cats. The card states which cats must be used for the challenge and how many layers there will be. Generally it is just one or two layers of cats but it can go all the way up to four layers.
Variations: These single player games are very fun to play with another person as a team. Also, if you are stuck on a challenge I recommend having someone else around who can give you a hint as to the placement of one or more of the cat pieces by looking at the solution card. There are a few other versions of this game depending on your animal theme of choice. The Dog Pile version is the same difficulty level but with different layouts and challenges and the Hay STAX version with barn animals is slightly easier and a good choice for younger kids.
Similar Games To Check Out: Cat Crimes, Dinosaurs: Mystic Islands, Gravity Maze, Roller Coaster Challenge, Suspend