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January 06, 2004

Playing with Pandora

Well...I've captured the tricksters of mischief and restored order to the world...

In other words - I beat Pandora's Box. I've had the game for quite some time and just played with a puzzle here and there. This time I went through the story line and played it from start to finish. The images are stunning and the puzzles are challenging.

It started out easy... and I completed every puzzle (at first). It was a way to pass time (and avoid studying). I started racking up hints and free solutions. It was a lucky thing since I needed a few solutions to move the game along. NOTE: One of the "tricksters" is Anasi...the SP____ ! I knew that at some point, I would have to complete a picture of one... And the puzzle at the end of that level proved it to be true. Luckily, I had my solution pieces and I could just click through to solve it -- which led to another puzzle of a web with a taran... eeeeeeeeewwwww. Click to solve. Click. Gone.

Then I started getting tired. I knew that I wouldn't study until I finished. I started wasting hints and solutions to get to the end. And I got to the end without any solutions left! There I was...facing the Raven puzzle with no hints and no solutions left. I went back and solved enough puzzles to get the next free piece. [One for every ten puzzles solved.] I looked at the pieces in dismay. I knew that the solution to the puzzle would only lead to another puzzle. Some of the pieces were out of focus -- which means Rotoscope time. I tried to use the free solution, but alas! It required THREE free pieces to solve the puzzle.

I started working the first puzzle. I was very surprised that I was able to complete it. Even though parts of the puzzle were out of focus, it was still possible to fit the pieces together. I finished the first part...and to my disappointment, the Rotoscope puzzle had parts of ITS pieces both in and out of focus! Which meant it was a puzzle within a puzzle within a puzzle.

I went back and beat all the puzzles I could on that level. Unfortunately, you can't move between levels...which limited the amount of free solution pieces available. I finally got the three pieces I needed. I went back to the Raven and used my last 3 solutions - and it only solved ONE of the three. [Insert gasp of horror here] But, at last the pieces were whole and I could solve the last Focus puzzle. Whew!

So now it's on to Exam 70-214. No excuses. No playing around. [I mean it this time... ] The CD is put away and the GameCube is turned off. As soon as I pass this test, I can go back to Tetris World and not a minute sooner.

Even though I'm feeling guilty for "wasting time," I realize that puzzles like that are good brain exercise. It trains the mind to make connections and look for similarities. Similarities are good. If you're studying and you find some "new" material and can relate it to something you already know... chances are that you'll remember it easier and understand it better. I always say that you "anchor it" to something so it doesn't float away when you're looking for it (like during a test).

I'll be starting into Chapter 6 tomorow night and I'm hoping to be ready to test sometime next week. The material is much more practical and I have a lot of hands-on experience with many of these topics - so that should help the reading go much faster. I hope...

Posted by BlueWolf on January 6, 2004 12:40 AM