iToys Releases KenKen “Brain Game”
Written on Feb 7, 2009 by Brian and filed under iToys, News
KenKen is the latest Japanese puzzle game to take over America. Like sudoku before it, KenKen challenges users to complete a puzzle grid with numbers. iToys has announced an electronic version of the game that is available now for kids age 8 and up.
This version of the KenKen game offers thousands of puzzles on 3×3 to 6×6 grids with 10 difficulty settings. Additional features include:
- Touch screen
- Removable stylus
- Backlighting
- Sound effects
- Multiple help tools
- Scoring
More About KenKen
KenKen was launched in 2004 by puzzle master and teacher extraordinaire Tetsuya Miyamoto, quickly becoming Japan’s hottest brain game. Mr. Miyamoto was looking for an engaging and fun tool to help teach his students, and devised KenKen, which translates as “wisdom squared” or “cleverness squared.” He believes that conventional teaching has failed and that by concentrating on this novel way of problem-solving, the mind becomes a more potent tool for the rest of one’s life. Newspapers from around the world have added KenKen puzzles, including such leading dailies as The Times of London, Boston Globe and NYTimes.com.
KenKen is an arithmetic-based puzzle game that, like sudoku, is played on a grid using numbers. It is “beyond sudoku,” however, by taking the puzzle one step further and incorporating math skills, including addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Game play ranges from very easy to extremely difficult.
iToys’ KenKen game is available now for $19.99 and will be formally announced at Toy Fair.
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