MindTrap facts for kids

MindTrap is a super fun series of puzzle games. You can play it with a friend or in teams. It was created in Canada. The main company behind it is MindTrap Games, Inc.. They let other companies like Outset Media and Pressman Toy Corporation make and sell the games.

In MindTrap, you get a puzzle from a card. You have a short time to figure it out. If you get the answer right, your player or team moves forward on a game board. The first one to reach the end wins!

The first MindTrap game had only logic and lateral thinking puzzles. Later games added more types of brain teasers. These included tangrams (shape puzzles) and stick puzzles. Lateral thinking puzzles have a special diamond on the card. This means you can ask "yes" or "no" questions about the puzzle story. These puzzles often try to trick you with extra information. They make you think harder to find a simple, common sense answer. Some puzzles use wordplay or pictures. Others test your everyday knowledge.

You'll meet some fun characters again and again in the puzzles. There are mysteries and crimes that "Detective Shadow" investigates. The bad guys include "Sid Shady" and "Sam Sham." There's also a magician named "Dee Sceptor" who performs tricks.

The questions in MindTrap use Canadian-English words and spelling. They don't change the language for other countries like the US or UK.

MindTrap Games Over the Years

MindTrap has been around for a long time! It first came out as a board game in 1991. Pressman Toy Corporation released it in Canada and the US. Other companies like Blue Opal and Spears Games sold it in Australia and the UK. You could also find it translated into French, German, and Italian. Later, special tin versions were released, including a 10th Anniversary Edition.

In 1994, MindTrap Games, Inc. and Pirate Radio made MindTrap -- New Audio Mystery Edition. This was on cassette tapes! It had over two hours of mysteries and an answer book. It didn't come with a board or cards.

A second MindTrap game, called MindTrap - The Challenge Continues, came out in 1997. It was later renamed MindTrap II. This game was translated into Greek, Portuguese, and Spanish for Europe. In 2001, Ultimate MindTrap was released in the UK. It was the official follow-up to MindTrap II.

Outset Media, a Canadian company, started making MindTrap games in 2007. They released a MindTrap: Classic Edition in a tin. They also made a 20th Anniversary Edition. There's even a French version that uses Canadian-French words.

Outset Media also created travel packs in 2007 called Geometrical Riddles. These games have three difficulty levels: Novice, Master, and Genius. Each pack has 54 cards with shape and math puzzles. Newer MindTrap card games came out in 2011. These include Left Brain Right Brain, Brain Cramp, and Shadow Mysteries.

Pressman Toy Corporation also made "mystery" jigsaw puzzles. These 500-piece puzzles came with a short mystery story. You put the puzzle together to find clues. Then you try to solve the crime with Detective Shadow!

Types of MindTrap Games

There are many different ways to play MindTrap!

Board Games

• MindTrap (1991): This was the first game. It had only logic and lateral thinking puzzles.
• MindTrap II - The Challenge Continues (1997): This game added new puzzle types. These included picture, stick, and shape puzzles.
• Ultimate MindTrap (2001): More new puzzles were added, like those in MindTrap II.
• MindTrap - The Revised Edition (2007): This version combined puzzles from the first two games.
• MindTrap - Classic Edition (2007): This game has 486 of the best puzzles and trick questions.

Anniversary Editions

• MindTrap 10th Anniversary Edition (2001): This was the same as the original game but came in a special tin.
• MindTrap 20th Anniversary Edition (2011): This version didn't have a game board. It added two new puzzle types to the ones in MindTrap II.

Translated Games

• MindTrap French (2006): The original game translated into French.
• MindTrap (1991): Also translated into German and Italian.
• MindTrap II: Translated into Greek, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Audio Games

• MindTrap - All New Audio Mystery Edition (1994): A double cassette with over two hours of new mysteries.

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. This game features Detective Shadow and villains like Sid Shady.
• 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)