Prison Block

Prison Block is one of the easier puzzles in my collection. My aluminium version is from Sloyd but there is also a version made out of wood. What attracted me to this puzzle (besides it being all metal) was the purple square block on top of the black rectangular plate inside it, which gives the puzzle a rather unique appearance.

The puzzle is 31/4 inches square and about 1 inch thick. It houses within it the black rectangular plate and the object of course as the name implies, is to remove the plate from the aluminium housing. The purple square block functions as a knob for your fingers to manipulate the plate which moves freely within the housing. The base of the puzzle is covered with a velvety layer so you can safely place it on any surface like a glass or wooden table top without fear of scratches. Overall construction and fit and finish of the puzzle is good.

I was able to solve the puzzle in less than 5 minutes after picking it up! Removing the plate is relatively easy but putting it back into the housing is far more challenging and I took while longer. The trick to this puzzle is  to examine and look at the puzzle carefully, especially the inside. It becomes pretty easy to solve it after that.

Apart from being a decent puzzle, it makes a nice table decoration or even a paper weight. In fact, more than a few of my friends actually thought  it was an ashtray. Well with the black plate removed, it certainly can function as one!