Advanced Thinking Skills

Advanced Thinking Skills is a fun edutainment / puzzle game released as an entrant in Compedia's short-lived Top Class series. The game is a collection of five mini-puzzle games commonly used on psychometric exams and IQ test: Odd one out (find shape which is different from all the rest), Shapes (find a shape that completes the sequence), Building Blocks (count the number of blocks in the picture), and Dominoes and Number Sequences (choose a domino / number that completes the sequence).

Questions increase in difficulty quite rapidly, and will challenge even the most astute MENSA experts. The games are also quite tricky, especially in Dominoes where you have to figure out not only the hidden formula that the dominoes follow, but also whether it applies to both sides of the domino or one side only.

As in Compedia's other educational games, Advanced Thinking Skills features an excellent help mode that explains both the rules of each game (with animated examples), and gameplay mechanics. You can practice any game you want for as long as you want, and when you feel you are ready, tackle the "self-test," in which you must finish all 5 games within time limit. Don't let the game's billing as an "edutainment" game fool you-- it is educational, yes, but it's also a solid puzzle game that will challenge novices and experts alike. Thumbs up!

Review By HOTUD