Ball maze

A two-dimensional ball maze

Three-dimensional game of skill 

Skill game "The Silver Bullet" from the First World War . British exhibit from the collection of the Auckland War Memorial Museum .

A ball maze is a game of skill in which a small steel ball has to be guided through a maze . Two-dimensional labyrinths made of wood can be traced back (at least) to the beginning of the 20th century. At the beginning of the 21st century, three-dimensional ball labyrinths were also established on the market (known as perplexus , among other things ).

Two-dimensional

The labyrinth is on a surface. Some models (often made of plastic) are held directly in the hands, they can also have a transparent cover that prevents the ball from falling out of the labyrinth. Other models (often made of wood) are mounted in a device and can be used e.g. B. move using knobs.

By changing the slope of the surface, you steer a ball through the maze to bring it from a starting point to a destination point.

Three-dimensional (perplexus)

The labyrinth is inside a clear plastic ball so that the metal ball cannot be manipulated directly. Rather, the player tries to maneuver the metal ball through the labyrinth just by turning the outer plastic ball. The labyrinth itself is made up of narrow plastic sheets, bowls and grids that have to be traversed one after the other. In doing so, various obstacles have to be overcome that include all three dimensions.

Perplexus comes in different sizes and degrees of difficulty. The game is also sold under names such as "Addict-A-Ball", "Magic Maze" or "Maze Ball".

See also

• 3D puzzle
• Rotating puzzle
• Mechanical puzzles
• Puzzle ball