Sometimes the most seemingly simple games can be the most challenging. Instant Insanity is one of those games. Players have four cubes with different combinations of red, green, blue and white sides. The goal is to position the cubes up so the sides and top all show only one of each color. The manufacturer claims over 80,000 possible combinations and only one solution. Students who enjoy puzzles are likely to be sufficiently intrigued and work at trying to figure out the path to the solution. Remembering previous attempts and iterating will use their flexible thinking and working memory skills. Instant Insanity is the type of puzzle that, if left accessible, a student might return to again and again. Younger students or those who tend not to enjoy puzzles are more likely to attempt it and abandon it when the solution does not come so easily. Overall, this is a great puzzle that students can return to again and again and develop their analytic reasoning skills as they think through potential strategies.

• Provides sufficient and varied types of practice problems to maximize understanding and generalization of the targeted skill/concept
• Manufacturer claims alignment with Common Core/Known Standards
• Presents educational concepts accurately
• Explains answers so students can learn from mistakes
• Better for teaching the skill to new or struggling learners
• Better for practicing or refreshing the skill
• Skills are practiced through authentic, meaningful problems (not just rote practice)

• Appropriate for a broad age range to use and enjoy
• Visually appealing to children in the target age range
• Adults would enjoy playing with a child
• For electronic games, gives positive or encouraging feedback
• Offers ongoing, progressive challenge
• Overall - Enjoyable. Given the option, students would choose this option

• Provides teaching guidance for adults to support the child and set appropriate goals
• Student should be able to use independently after first use
• Student graduates to the next level or topic only after meeting a benchmark
• Can effectively understand and monitor student's progress (email report or in product)
• Does not require excessive set-up time after first time use
• Can be fun as a single player game
• Multi-player game which fosters collaboration or cooperation
• Well-made for the cost
• For electronic games, can play without sound
• For electronic games, allows user to save work
• For electronic games, voice/sounds are appealing and pronounces words properly
• Provides options to play in languages other than English/Good for ELL
• Presents information in multiple formats (voice over, pictures and text, etc.)
• Overall - Easy to use

• Attention
• Problems or examples are not interesting for the target age range
• Directions may be confusing for students using independently

The classic colored-cubes puzzle from the 1960's is back to tease your brain!