MindTrap Games, Inc
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''MindTrap'' is a series of
lateral thinking Lateral thinking is a manner of Problem solving, solving problems using an indirect and creativity, creative approach via reasoning that is not immediately obvious. Synonymous to thinking outside the box, it involves ideas that may not be obtai ...
puzzle
game A game is a structured type of play usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or video games) or art ...
s played by two individuals or teams. Invented in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, it is the main product of MindTrap Games, Inc., who license the game for manufacture by various companies including Outset Media, Blue Opal, the Great American Puzzle Factory,
Pressman Toy Corporation Pressman Toy Corporation is a toy manufacturer based in Richardson, Texas. Founded in 1922 by Jack Pressman, it currently focuses on family games and licensed products. History Jack Pressman founded the company in 1922 in Brooklyn, New York. ...
, Spears Games and Winning Moves. Players are given a
puzzle A puzzle is a game, problem, or toy that tests a person's ingenuity or knowledge. In a puzzle, the solver is expected to put pieces together ( or take them apart) in a logical way, in order to find the solution of the puzzle. There are differe ...
from a card and a limited amount of time to solve it. Each correct answer advances the player or team along a track printed on the scorecard; they win by being the first to reach the end. The original game contained only
logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the study of deductively valid inferences or logical truths. It examines how conclusions follow from premises based on the structure o ...
and
lateral thinking Lateral thinking is a manner of Problem solving, solving problems using an indirect and creativity, creative approach via reasoning that is not immediately obvious. Synonymous to thinking outside the box, it involves ideas that may not be obtai ...
puzzles, while later editions added other types of brain teasers including
tangram The tangram () is a dissection puzzle consisting of seven flat polygons, called ''tans'', which are put together to form shapes. The objective is to replicate a pattern (given only an outline) generally found in a puzzle book using all seven pi ...
s and stick puzzles. Lateral thinking problems are identified by a diamond on the question side of the card, indicating that answering team are allowed to ask "yes/no" questions about the puzzle scenario. These puzzles often give unnecessary information in order to distract the answerer from a simple, common sense solution, and play on common assumptions. Some questions play on words or pictures and some on everyday trivia. Many scenarios and characters reoccur throughout the puzzles, including murders and other crimes investigated by "Detective Shadow" (and perpetrated by villains including "Sid Shady" and "Sam Sham"), and tricks performed by magician "Dee Septor". The questions are worded in Canadian-English, with Canadian terminology and spelling, and are not localized for the American, UK or Australian markets.


Releases and Distributors

MindTrap was originally released as a board game in carton packaging with over 500 puzzles printed on cards and a playing board (printed on paper) by
Pressman Toy Corporation Pressman Toy Corporation is a toy manufacturer based in Richardson, Texas. Founded in 1922 by Jack Pressman, it currently focuses on family games and licensed products. History Jack Pressman founded the company in 1922 in Brooklyn, New York. ...
in Canada and the US in 1991, by Blue Opal in Australia and by Spears Games in the UK. Translated versions of the original game have been released in French, German and Italian. Tin packaged versions of the game were released by Paul Lamond in the UK, and later by Pressman Toy Corporation and the Great American Puzzle Factory as tenth anniversary editions. In 1994, MindTrap Games, Inc. and
Pirate Radio Pirate radio is a radio station that broadcasts without a valid license, whether an invalid license or no license at all. In some cases, radio stations are considered legal where the signal is transmitted, but illegal where the signals are rec ...
released ''MindTrap -- New Audio Mystery Edition'' on cassette tapes featuring over 2 hours of mysteries along with an answer book. This double cassette edition lacks the playing board and cards. A sequel to ''MindTrap'', originally titled ''MindTrap - The Challenge Continues'' was released in 1997 by MindTrap Games, Inc. and
Pressman Toy Corporation Pressman Toy Corporation is a toy manufacturer based in Richardson, Texas. Founded in 1922 by Jack Pressman, it currently focuses on family games and licensed products. History Jack Pressman founded the company in 1922 in Brooklyn, New York. ...
. The Roman numeral "II" was later added to this title. European released translations of the sequel include Greek, Portuguese and Spanish. In 2001 ''Ultimate MindTrap'', the official sequel to ''MindTrap II'', was released in the UK. Outset Media, a Canadian-based manufacturer and distributor of games and puzzles, licensed MindTrap in 2007 and has since released MindTrap games in different forms. Outlet Media releases of the board game include a tin-packaged ''MindTrap: Classic Edition'', a ''20th Anniversary Edition'', and a French translated version of the game, which, akin to the English versions of the game, uses Canadian-French terminology and wording in favour of any localization. In 2007, a travel pack of games called Geometrical Riddles was created by Outlet Media. The game includes three levels of difficulty: Novice, Master, and Genius. Each assortment contains 54 cards with recognition problems, geometrical and mathematical puzzles. Newer MindTrap card games were released in 2011 called Left Brain Right Brain, Brain Cramp, and Shadow Mysteries.
Pressman Toy Corporation Pressman Toy Corporation is a toy manufacturer based in Richardson, Texas. Founded in 1922 by Jack Pressman, it currently focuses on family games and licensed products. History Jack Pressman founded the company in 1922 in Brooklyn, New York. ...
released a series of 500 piece, 24" x 18", "mystery" jigsaw puzzles, each provided with a booklet of an original short mystery story. Readers assemble the puzzle to discover clues to match wits against Detective Shadow in a race to solve the crime.


List of MindTrap Games

Board games: * ''MindTrap'' (1991) - the original game, consisting only of logic and lateral thinking puzzles. * ''MindTrap II - The Challenge Continues'' (1997) - a sequel introducing additional puzzle types (picture, stick and shape puzzles). * ''Ultimate MindTrap'' (2001) - another sequel, with new puzzles in the various types introduced in ''MindTrap II''. * ''MindTrap - The Revised Edition'' (2007) - a new edition comprising puzzles from ''MindTrap'' and ''MindTrap II''. * ''MindTrap - Classic Edition'' (2007) - 486 of the best puzzles, mysteries, conundrums and trick questions from MindTrap. Anniversary editions: * ''MindTrap 10th Anniversary Edition'' (2001) - same as the original game but comes in a 10th Anniversary Edition tin. * ''MindTrap 20th Anniversary Edition'' (2011) - does away with the playing board but adds two new categories to those available in ''MindTrap II''. Translated releases: * ''MindTrap French'' (2006) - the original game, translated into French and distributed by Outset Media. * ''MindTrap'' (1991) - German (
Schmidt Spiele Schmidt Spiele is a German games publisher for a wide variety of games, especially German-style board games. Founder Josef Friedrich Schmidt developed Mensch ärgere dich nicht in 1907/1908, based on antique forerunners. Five years later his new ...
), Italian ( Giochi Spear). * ''MindTrap II'' - Greek ( Spear's Games), Portuguese (
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Games), Spanish ( Juegos Spear). Audio editions: * ''MindTrap - All New Audio Mystery Edition'' (1994) - double cassette of over 2 hours, including new mysteries (to the original). Card games: * ''MindTrap Geometrical Riddles: Novice Level'' (2007) -- for ages 10 and up. * ''MindTrap Geometrical Riddles: Master Level'' (2007) -- for ages 12 and up. * ''MindTrap Geometrical Riddles: Genius Level'' (2007) -- for ages 14 and up. * ''MindTrap: Brain Cramp'' (2011) - for ages 10 and up. * ''MindTrap: Shadow Mysteries'' (2011) - for ages 12 and up. Includes detective scenarios from MindTrap's infamous characters "Detective Shadow", "Sid Shady" and "Sam Sham". * ''MindTrap: Left Brain Right Brain'' (2001) - for ages 14 and up. Jigsaw puzzles: * ''MindTrap - Murder By Will'' * ''MindTrap - Murder's in Fashion'' * ''MindTrap - An Unsavoury Demise'' * ''MindTrap - Revenge in Paradise'' Books: * ''Tricky MindTrap Puzzles: Challenge the Way You Think & See'' (2000) * ''Lateral MindTrap Puzzles: Challenge the Way You Think & See'' (2000)


External links

* * {{bgg, 5425, ''MindTrap II'', 31758, ''Ultimate MindTrap'', 64043, ''MindTrap - The Revised Edition''
outsetmedia.com
- the official North American distributor for MindTrap games Logic puzzles Party games Quiz games