Roller Coaster Challenge

Ups and Downs of Logic Puzzle

If your kids loved Three Little Piggies but need more difficult puzzles, check out RollerCoaster Challenge from ThinkFun, another single player logic game for kids.

In this game, kids pick a card then set up the supports for the roller coaster track to match the card. The card also tells them which other pieces they will need to solve the puzzle. Once they have all the parts assembled, they try and figure out which pieces go where so the roller coaster can run from start to finish.

My youngest child isn’t interested in solving the problems. He just looks at the cards and decides which one he wants me to build, then enjoys running the roller coaster over and over. My older kids enjoy the problem solving and building aspects.

But beware. Figuring out their system can take some adjustment. You need to read the instruction manual to understand the difference between each color track piece, all of which drop a different number of levels. And the dots on the colored rectangle indicate the length of the track piece. It took me months to figure out the track pieces had dots on them as well for easier matching. Make sure you keep up with the small roller coaster itself. Although most marbles make a good substitute, the game becomes fairly pointless without something to roll along the track.

Once you get those basics down, the game flows much more smoothly for kids and adults alike. It comes with 40 puzzle cards ranging from easy to super hard levels, and even includes a loop track piece and several cardboard arches for more interest. Each game takes 10-15 minutes to assemble and solve depending on the difficulty level. It requires no literacy skills beyond reading the directions to understand the card images. Once built, the coaster can keep kids entertained for much longer. My kids like rolling marbles down the track as well as trying to knock the rollercoaster off.