Free Me 5 – Tartarus

Sometimes I feel like a puzzle really needs a shout-out – this is one of those times…

I really enjoyed Free Me 5 when I got my original Joseph Turner copy from the Coolen clan several years ago - I enjoyed playing with it, I wrote about it and several visiting puzzlers have enjoyed it over the years…

…so when I spotted mention of a shiny aluminium version courtesy of a new collaboration between Joseph and Jon Keegan (the Bananas guy!), I politely asked if I could purchase a copy and a few days later one was indeed on its way to Barnt Green.

It’s every bit as good-looking in real life, with a “genuine” doubloon waiting patiently to be released. It’s pretty much the same size as the original wooden version, has all of the same visual clues on the outside and it actually plays almost identically to the wooden version, but I love this version. It’s rock solid and there is zero chance of anyone managing to damage it… and judging by the number of times it’s come out to play with various puzzlers, I’m not the only one who thinks that way.

An excellent production from Tartarus Puzzles: great design from Joseph Turner and superb implementation by Jon Keegan – a winning combination.