Jukebox

I was very chuffed to see Daniel Czuriga and Tibor Folytán’s Jukebox pre-orders go live a while back and I signed up straight away. I’d seen it at the Houston Design Competition but didn’t end up having a play with it… I had had heard several people saying some very positive things about it, including some folks whose opinions I will generally accept as being right on the money…. And then if I needed any further encouragement, it won the Jury Grand Prize.

It's a sizeable old lump of puzzle and from the comments in Houston, it was a pretty complex beast, so when the guys at Moontree announced they’d be making a few hundred copies, we all understood that this wasn’t going to be a simple process, or a quick one… I paid my deposit and waited my turn in the queue… and I suspect I was probably toward the end of the queue, which meant that my copy ended up arriving a few weeks before Christmas… when the house-rules dictate that it goes under the tree until Christmas… life’s tough, eh?!

First impressions are that the guys have gone to some incredible lengths on the packaging to make sure that their puzzles are going to arrive in pristine condition – there are several layers of packaging and boxes with the final layer cushioning the puzzle and it’s accompanying paperwork in a custom padded box that literally immobilises the puzzle in a safe cocoon… unless your delivery person sets fire to it, this one will arrive in perfect condition. (Great job. Thank you, guys!)

Jukebox is a generously sized puzzle that looks like an old Wurlitzer – you’re probably going to want to play on a desk or a table and it might be worthwhile using the included chamois to protect your desk! (It’s brilliant for removing grubby pawprints from your beautiful puzzle after solving too!)

The solve is long and complex (their conservative count is 15 steps) – and beautifully themed along the way – things all makes sense in the context of this being a Jukebox. The mechanisms are all positive – you’re never expected to do anything stupid or brave and tools are all perfectly suited to their task (and if you think they aren’t, try something different!). You’re going to go through all the things you’d hope to be able to do on a Jukebox and then at the end you’re rewarded with one of the best tunes ever.

It is an awesome puzzle that I will be sharing with lots of my mates – the engineering is excellent and it’s solidly made: everything’s going to behave perfectly for a long time. It’s clear why it won the Jury Grand Prize!

Here’s hoping that Daniel and Tibor don’t wait too long for a follow-up, if it’s anywhere near as good, we’re in for another absolute treat! Great job guys!