When Erno Rubik created the first ever Rubik's Cube in 1974
could he ever have guessed that it would go onto be the most popular toy of all
time? The humble Cube has come a bit over the years, being redesigned, rebuilt,
and also - as we're about to see - reformatted.
Ever keen to put our flabby hands to anything but work, we
took a look at two links in the chain of the Rubik's Empire, and discovered that
there is more than one way to quickly move coloured tiles around. Happily, we
tore open the Rubik's Void and the Rubik's Race.
We're all very familiar with the traditional Rubik's Cube. Although
it seems like magic, we've all guessed at (or cracked open and gawped at) the
internal workings at the centre that allow you to spin those coloured blocks
around so easily. So, imagine if there was no centre to your cube and that you
could see right through it. SURELY NOT?!?
Surely so. The Rubik's Void is a mind-bending twist on the
classic toy, missing as it is the whole centre tile on each face allowing you
to look right through. As you start twisting the rows of tiles around you
really do wonder how it works.
Sometime ago we reviewed, as part of this games feature, the Rubik's 2x2. At the time we thought that was pretty tough, but good fun. The Rubik's Void makes it look like Snakes & Ladders. We weren't sure if it was actually harder than a standard Cube, or if by having pieces missing it threw us slightly, but we honestly struggled with the damn thing quite a bit.
Sometime ago we reviewed, as part of this games feature, the Rubik's 2x2. At the time we thought that was pretty tough, but good fun. The Rubik's Void makes it look like Snakes & Ladders. We weren't sure if it was actually harder than a standard Cube, or if by having pieces missing it threw us slightly, but we honestly struggled with the damn thing quite a bit.
When we finally did crack it (the puzzle, not the actual
Void with a hammer - although we did get close at one point) we felt a massive
swell of pride akin to the first tine we completed a Cube back in the 80s.
This would make a great gift for a die-hard Rubik's fan
looking for something a bit different, or if you just really want to see
someone stare dumbfounded at an object for a while.
The only thing missing from
a Rubik's Cube is the ability to play it with someone else. That's fine
and dandy for loners, but what about those who love nothing more than the sweet
sight of your friends, family and children sobbing their hearts out because you
destroyed them in a game? Now those people (those sick, sick people) have that
chance thanks to Rubik's Race.
Not a cube but rather a tile sliding game in which two
players face off (literally) and attempt to race each other in solving the
puzzle. It might look like Battleships, but Rubik's Race is actually a
heart-pounding, anxiety-inducing test of speed and intelligence. We possess
neither of those things in abundance.
Simply shake the scrambler box to generate a 9x9 coloured
pattern. Then, attempting to do it quicker than your opponent (who may or may
not be 9), shift your tiles around like one of those old tile-slider puzzle
games to create the same combination that the scrambler produced. The first
person to do so in the centre of their board gets to slam the divider down and
show off their winning work to their now teary-eyed enemy. Ha, in your face
little girl!
We found that the Rubik's Race was massively addictive and
ended up challenging everyone we bumped into to a game. Loners will also love
it as you can play 'Solitaire Mode', letting you practice the game and race
against yourself. If you're into that sort of thing.
£19.99
Visit uk.rubiks.com