{Review} Laser Maze Jr. by ThinkFun

In our family we are all about sneaky learning.  Well at least I am.  I don’t think kids know that they are.  You know, because I’m sneaky.  Anyway, we recently got to try out a great new logic game by Thinkfun.  My kids were super excited because hello it has lasers!  I’m pretty sure they didn’t even notice their brains growing…

Like other Thinkfun logic games such as Rush Hour Jr., this game comes with a packet of cards representing a variety of levels.   It’s a great idea to start with the easy cards because they help you understand how the mirrors and lasers behave together.  It was so interesting to see the kids respond to these!  My older son exclaimed at one point, “Oh that’s not what I thought it was going to do!”  He had obviously made a prediction in his head regarding the behavior of the laser and mirrors, and he was surprised when something different happened.

Once I explained what the symbols on the cards stood for, my boys (ages 6 and 8) had no trouble setting up the game independently.  You just slide the card of your choice under the transparent playing board, then add the rockets, mirrors and rocks as indicated.  Then you look at the bottom of the card to see what additional pieces you need to put down to solve the puzzle.  Next, turn the laser on and see if the top of the rocket lights up! (This is a little hard to see in a bright sunny room.)  The more difficult cards have you place “decoy” pieces on the board that don’t really serve a purpose other than to confuse you, but of course you don’t know which pieces they are until you solve the puzzle!  The mirrors and rockets have to be placed pretty exactly.  There were a few times we had solved the puzzle correctly but had to wiggle the pieces a little to get the laser to line up right.

Both my boys could solve the “medium” cards without too much trouble.  My 6 year old was able to solve some of the “hard” cards but the “super hard” cards were too tough.  My 8 year old was able to solve some of the “hard” cards with effort, and some of the “super hard cards”.  The other night even I got stuck on a “hard” card!  I think an older child would probably have more fun with the regular version of the game than the Jr. version, but for my kids this was great.  They like having the label “hard” or “super hard” on the card!

I thought this game was a great combination of science and thinking, presented in a way that is challenging as well as fun!  Kids can work on it independently or solve a more challenging puzzle with the help of an older sibling or parent.

Thinkfun has tons of great games!  Check out some of our other reviews!
Rush Hour Jr.
Time Telling Zingo
Maker Studio
Last Letter

I received this game for free in exchange for an honest review.