Disney's 3-in-1 Puzzle Pack

Say what you want about the education system that's supposedly failing the nation's youth and exams that allegedly continue to get easier year after year.

Because even if the government is incapable of setting stern standards for the kids, Disney's only too happy to give the little 'un's grey matter a good working over.

We're not talking Cars or Finding Nemo, though, oh no. What Disney's about to set on the kids is this, Disney's 3-in-1 Puzzle Pack, a compilation of three popular puzzle games that pocket gamers of all ages will get a kick out of.

Made up of the three hot brain-teasers of the moment – solitaire, sudoku and mah jong – Disney's 3-in-1 Puzzle Pack has got the potential to provide excellent value for money and enough entertainment for the longest of train trips.

Although each game is sponsored by a particular character (Donald oversees matters in solitaire, while Mickey and Minnie are in charge of sudoku and mah jong respectively), the cuteness is kept to a minimum.

In fact, once you get stuck in there are very few hints that you're not playing a more grown-up version of one of the games.

They certainly don't pander to younger players, with each game offering a stiff test that'll put all but the best puzzle brains through the wringer. Three difficulty levels see to that and, within each one, there's a wide selection of challenges on offer.

This means that you're not confronted with the same sudoku grid or pack of cards when you start a new game. And while the level of difficulty isn't as steep as specialised games, such as Platinum Sudoku, it's hard enough to make for a rewarding game.

So, all in all, it's a pretty good bundle of puzzle games, then.

Well, almost. The visuals, whilst bright and colourful, do occasionally suffer from being too detailed, particularly when playing mah jong. The icons on the tiles are tiny and, due to their complexity, it can be a real strain trying to tell which ones are which.

It's a problem that's repeated with the in-game text. You might think this isn't such a problem. But if you're playing one or all of the games for the first time, following the tutorials is a struggle.

We'd also like to see some sort of reward system, because once you complete a game there's no carrot at the end of it. Again, this isn't a huge flaw but it does leave a gap in an otherwise comprehensive presentation. How hard would it have been to toss in a couple of Mickey Mouse wallpapers as a reward to completing a game, for instance?

But it's hard to stay frustrated with a game that has as much cheery charm as Disney's 3-in-1 Puzzle Pack. If you want a nice little puzzler, it's got much to offer. Particularly when it plays its trump card: for the price of one game, you're actually getting three.

That ought to make sense to even the slowest 7th grader.

Disney's 3-in-1 Puzzle Pack

Three polished puzzle games into one does go, and goes well
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