Is Slideways a Puzzle or a Game?
By now you know that we absolutely love puzzles and games. Sometimes they can be an escape from the drama of everyday life, other times we play to challenge our aging brains. No matter the reason, we have always made time to play. And with two pre-teens in the house, this time together is even more precious to us. Pretty soon they’ll be trading their meeples for boys. We’ll keep trying to delay that as long as possible.
Our youngest daughter has shown a real talent for solving puzzles, so when she saw the box for Slideways, she immediately claimed it as hers. There was a little disappointment in her eyes when I explained that it wasn’t a puzzle, but a game. I went on to explain that it was something she could learn quickly and then challenge her sister to, and that soothed any misgivings and we went right to it.
At its heart, Slideways is a variation on the old classic Tic-Tac-Toe. Instead of pen and paper, R&R Games has created a well-made game “board” using plastic and magnets. Yes, I said magnets! More on that in a minute.
While the box says Slideways was designed for 2 or 3 players, we found the 2-player version of the rules to be much more satisfying. On the board are tiny suspended triangles that are turned Wheel-of-Fortune-style to reveal either a yellow or red side. Your goal is to be the first to get four in a row.
On your turn you have two options. Turn one of the triangles to your color (except the one your opponent just turned), or to slide an entire row to the left or right (again, unless the other person just moved it that direction). This is where the magnets come into play. Instead of having the rows simply nest into the plastic base, these are held in place by strong magnets that grip the block in position. Sliding to a side, they effortlessly snap in place. And since they don’t have the resistance of plastic-on-plastic, you’ll never find them hard to move or covered with the dirt that seems to get inside of other games like this.
Alternate turns until one person has finally managed to line up four in any direction (even diagonally). You can expect a round to last under 10 minutes, and again thank to the magnets, Slideways is also a great travel game. No pieces to fall out and lose and easily passable between players in the car.
At around $15, I think you’ll find Slideways to be worth every penny. Readily available on Amazon or direct from R&R Games and still plenty of time to make this a stocking-stuffer. While they have it rated for ages 8+, if your child is old enough to play tic-tac-toe, they are old enough for Slideways. Don’t forget to check out R&R’s Facebook and Twitter timelines for exciting holiday news, including a giveaway announcement or two!
But we want to know, how many games are you planning on buying this holiday season?
I’m not very good at puzzles, but this looks like a fun game! You always have such great game options!
Looks interesting! I’m always on the hunt for new games to play!
My youngest would enjoy playing this. He loves Tic-Tac-Toe and Connect Four and this is similar to both.
I love puzzles like this one that make kids think. This is a great way to get them away from all the video games.
Another great post. I will get at max 1 new game next holidays (need to keep my wallet balanced)!
Now that looks like a fun thinking game. I may pick this one up to bring to the beach house!
Nothing like a little puzzle to ease the mind.
I have never seen anything like this but my kids have always loved puzzle type games. Would make a nice holiday gift!
This reminds me of a game I had when I was a kid. I can’t remember the name of it.
I think this would be a good gift for my nephew. He enjoys games like this.
That’s awesome that it’s about $15! Great deal for a fun family game.
That’s a great deal! It sounds like it would be fun, and sort of reminds me of Tetris meets Jenga.
i love games like this. it reminds me off all the board games we used to play as children. now its all about videos etc. etc. times have sure changed.
This looks like a fun game! My oldest who is 7 I think would enjoy this one.
That would drive me crazy!!! But it looks to be a well thought out game that questions your intelligence!!! Maybe that’s why it would drive me crazy!! I like your tutorial on it!
I like puzzle games! I’ve never heard of this before. I probably won’t pick up any new board games until I get a chance to play the ones I already have, lol!
I like that you can take the game while traveling. And I like that it is quick to play.
Sounds cool. I love games that make kids think and exercise their analyzing skills. Definitely important for their intellectual development!
I love puzzle games because they make the kids think. This one sounds fun.
My two oldest boys would love this game! They loves puzzles and board games and this looks like the perfect combination!
This is a type of game that my nephew would enjoy playing! He likes things like this, and I am usually the one who winds up playing them with him.