Tail in the mouth!

Thinktank Games powered their way into gaming stores across India with the Don 2 franchise. With a Noida address on the box, a silver finished sweet box- like inside, this “under license from an Australian company” collection of games has a very Dr Wood Challenge feel to it. Is it a company hived off for strategic gains? Or is it a break- away group from the original? Is it a clever business and market decision that groups stock keeping units at certain price points and consciously plan to co- brand with Bollywood and perhaps other regional film hubs? The brain teaser collection had me wondering, well before I pulled the nine pieces of the snake out of the plastic sleeve.

Challenge 1 is a simple stretch out the snake to the maximum length possible. Challenge 2 had me struggling to curl the benevolent reptile into as tight a coil as possible. Challenge 3 is about tail- inmouth. It ought to be simple. But it’s not! The classic “find your way out of the maze” puzzles have taught me to start from the exit point, and work my way back to the start point. I started with tail in mouth, and many many attempts later, was clearly not doing a very good job of this.

Hiss! retails at a great price point of ` 159. It has a decent finish, a clever little puzzle. Hiss! is destined to be a gifting buy. Which will curl up in a forgotten corner of the house. Thinktank must explore ways to encourage post- purchase usage. The author may be contacted at

arup_ kavan@ yahoo. com