Logic Mazes, an old games website with some very clever games !
I wanted to talk about and give a brief overview of the website Logic Mazes by Robert Abbott. I stumble across the website every once in awhile while doing searches and always find the puzzles I find there to be interesting. It looks like the site has not been updated in over a decade but I still find it to be fun (if a bit dated). The site says all items are copyrighted as of 2011, but sadly the owner and inventor of the site, Mr. Abbott passed away in 2018. You can read the story of his life if you are interested here. Many of the links on the site are bad, and the games also do not work, but I want to share with you the great ideas and the things that do work ! If you are a designer of puzzles this site is great inspiration from someone who created a large variety of games !
Here are the main sections of the website:
Five Easy Mazes - This section contains 5 conditional mazes - i.e. there are rules you need to follow to move through the maze correctly. If you want to learn more about conditional mazes I wrote a blog post talking abut 11 different versions.
Eyeball Mazes - this section does not work for me (no Javascript). The mazes can still be viewed and played but you won’t be able to see a solution if you get stuck. The mazes are a type of conditional maze.
Alice Mazes - this section does not work for me (no Javascript). Basically these are a version of Arrow Mazes, one of my favorite type of mazes to make and solve. Check out my Largest Arrow Maze in the World (probably).
Sliding Door Mazes - dynamic mazes where pathways and walls change as you move in the maze. These are really fun and the first time I have seen them. Unfortunately from the first time I played them until now they seem to no longer work on my computer. Hoping someone can bring these type of puzzles back to play !
Tilt Mazes - an on screen version of the wooden tilt mazes you played as a kid (or adult). No longer playable online, but you can “eye” solve them.
Number Mazes - lots of fun. different (and better) than my version. Still playable on the site. I think these are great to play.
Rolling Block Mazes - these have been featured on the Mensa website, so if you are looking for a challenge this is the maze for you. They would take half a page to explain, so it is best you read about them directly. And there are discussions of 14 different versions !
The Bureaucratic Maze - read a fun a story about performance art. Ever been stuck in bureaucratic nightmare ? Maybe it was a form of a maze !
Starry Night Maze - link is bad, but picture shows the maze in question (if you can read the directions !) from the cover of Games Magazine,
Theseus and the Minotaur - A game with all links broken except this one where you can download the game to play. I installed it and would describe it as a very 2008 style game.
Next there are sections talking about mazes in the real world - corn mazes, mazes in cities, events from the late 90’s and early 2000’s.
In the top right hand corner of the website is a link : Robert Abbott’s Games. The first thing you will see is recent news from August 10, 2008. On the overall page you can read about card games and board games invented by Robert Abbott and a few books that contain explanations of the card games.
In 1963 Abbott's New Card Games was published and you can find a few copies on Amazon for sale. It is 138 pages and teaches you how to play a variety of new card games Mr. Abbott invented.
Abbott's New Card Games book
As I was writing and researching this I saw many references to Games Magazine which I remembered from my visits to the doctor’s and dentist’s offices as a kid. I can confirm it still exits ! You can still subscribe to a print or digital edition !
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The 5 best online maze games from Crazy Games
The 12 Most Important Retro Maze Video Games to Lose a Day With