Under The Microscope

KIWI CONUNDRUMS, by Russell Dear; XY-Books (P. O. Box 6046, Invercargill), 1993; 173 pages; $22 inc. p&p

Some people like puzzles, others don't. For those of you in the more enlightened category, we have a home-grown collection of mental exercises. NZSM contributor and puzzle aficionado Russell Dear has gathered together a varied selection, ranging from the purely arithmetical to the extremely Zen -- I am now a Potentate of the Rose, having solved in moments something I puzzled unsuccessfully over for ages when it appeared in this magazine. A number of these have appeared in the NZSM's "Neurobics" column; others are new.

Probability in many forms, word games, geometry, dissection, sets, logic, cars, goats and more appear. I keep thinking that the set of non-transitive dice described could prove enormously lucrative in a pub environment... As well as the puzzles themselves, Dear discusses their background, and writes of a few of the noted figures in the history of popular puzzles. All in all, Kiwi Conundrums makes very interesting reading.

The book is not without its flaws, unfortunately. I really have to say that it's let down by an ugly, typewriter-like typeface, and I noticed that the entry for Henry Dudeny in the index gives two incorrect page references. (Kudos to Dear for actually including an index, though.) It's also frustrating when one or two interesting-looking puzzles appear to have no solution supplied.

On balance, however, Kiwi Conundrums is worth a look for the puzzle fan. It is to be hoped that Dear will produce more books in the future.

Phil Anderson, NZSM

Phil Anderson is the assistant editor of New Zealand Science Monthly