The main Tantrix products currently available in the UK & Ireland are the Tantrix Discovery and Xtreme 10-tile solitaire puzzle sets in various presentation options and the 56-tile Tantrix Game Pack. Tantrix Match! is new from 2011. These products are based around wonderfully tactile hexagonal tiles and are described in detail below.
Prices vary slightly between shops (though seldom by enough to make it worth shopping around) but as a guide, you can expect to pay up to £25 for the Tantrix Game Pack ("TGP"), or around €30 in Ireland. Tantrix Discovery puzzle ("Disc") and Tantrix Xtreme prices vary depending on the format but all are less than £ 10. Tantrix Match! is about £20. Magnetic Tantrix sets cost about 20% less than the Game Pack and Pocket Tantrix up to 25% less.
Tantrix Discovery (ages 6-106)
The perfect introduction to Tantrix - each Tantrix Discovery set contains 10 colour-coded, numbered tiles, which are enough for ten graded solitaire puzzles. While almost everyone can solve the simplest puzzle with just three tiles, everyone finds a level at which the puzzles become challenging and intriguing as the number of tiles increases. As a result, Tantrix Discovery appeals widely to people of all ages and abilitles. No wonder it was voted "Puzzle of the Year" in Australia!
The later solutions are hard to remember and in some cases there is more than one solution, so you can have fun with your set again and again. In fact, if you really want a challenge, why not add a second Discovery set, then you can work your way up to a puzzle with 20 tiles, or even more ...
The tiles measure c. 4.5cm across.
Tantrix Discovery tiles are available in classic black, fun marbled green or stylish marbled white. The puzzles are the same in each case, so you can choose the colour that suits your personality.
Discovery sets are available in mesh bags (perfect for travelling and for children to carry around with them) or in a wooden or chrome stand.
If you buy your set in a stand, why not master it, then leave it out on your coffee table and see how long it takes your family and friends to succumb to the temptation to pick it up and have a go!
Click here to find out how you can obtain a Tantrix set
Tantrix Xtreme (ages 8-108)
The new Tantrix Xtreme puzzle is a more fiendish introduction to Tantrix - it contains eight loop puzzles that are similar to the Discovery puzzles but with an extra twist - no colour clues are given for each level. Two new 'pyramid'' puzzles that provide an even greater challenge complete the set.
Tantrix Game Pack (ages 6-106)
Tantrix is not just an intriguing collection of puzzles, it is also a wonderful game that is equally good as a fun family game for 2-4 players or as an elegant game of strategy mixed with an element of chance for two. Play it a few times and you'll probably become as addicted as the players you can meet on the www.tantrix.com site!
The TANTRIX GAME PACK contains 56 unique colour-coded, numbered tiles. These are supplied in an eye-catching and practical travel bag and with a 50 page booklet containing activities to last you a lifetime! No wonder it won the Good Toy Guide's Gold Award for Best Game! To see everything contained in the Game Pack, please click here.
Why is the Game Pack SO good? Well ...
- anyone from age 6 upwards can play
- very few rules, so it is easy to get started
- the tiles feel great and make fascinating patterns
- it only takes about 30 minutes to play a complete game
- it can be played as a serious strategy game or just for fun
- each set includes extra solitaire puzzles too - see below
- friends can usually be introduced to the basics fairly quickly
- an element of chance, so it's fun even if one player is stronger
- ... but master the strategies and you will win more often than not !
The Tantrix Game Pack also contains Discovery puzzles (see above) up to no less than 30 tiles, five Rainbow puzzles, five Junior to Genius puzzles and two other puzzles ranging from tricky to almost impossible - one of them has never been fully solved without the aid of a computer!
The tiles measure c. 4.5cm across.
Click here to find out how you can obtain a Tantrix set
Colourblind-friendly Game Packs: For those who find it difficult to distinguish between the red and green links, there is also a colourblind-friendly version of the Tantrix Game Pack where the green links have been replaced by white ones. To buy this version, please click here.
Tantrix Match! (ages 8-108)
The latest addition to the Tantrix family is a completely new set of puzzles which combines the spatial challenge of Tantrix with the deductive logic of puzzles like Sudoku.
The set comes boxed with 12 puzzle cards, a stylish oval tray to play on and 13 tiles which have been specially designed to make them easy to add and remove from the playing area. When not in use, everything can be stowed away neatly inside the tray.
The aim is to complete challenges using the clues given on each puzzle card, while ensuring that all touching colours match, hence the name. Add-on puzzle cards at various difficulty levels are also available. Alternatively, the set contains ideas for creating your own challenges.
The tiles measure c. 3.7cm across.
Click here to find out how you can obtain a Tantrix set
Pocket Tantrix (ages 6-106)
A smaller and lighter version of the Tantrix Game Pack, this has to be the cutest addition to the Tantrix range yet!
Pocket Tantrix comes with 56 mini-tiles, a cloth bag and the same activities guide as the Game Pack. Perfect for taking up a mountain or slipping into your pocket to take round a friend's, Pocket Tantrix is the ultimate travel version of this brilliant puzzle game!
All 56 tiles weigh just 120 g and each tile measures c. 23 mm across.
Click here to find out how you can obtain a Tantrix set
Magnetic Tantrix (ages 8-108)
Magnetic Tantrix is aimed at all those Tantrix fans out there who just can't get enough of the game and now want to be able to play it any time they like!
This set contains 56 tiles and rules for both the game and a selection of the puzzles found in the Tantrix Game Pack. It is suitable to be played with anywhere, e.g. on a fridge door or (using the metal board provided) on the go, in the park... Just like with the game - the possibilities are endless!
We still recommend the standard tiles for first-timers, but existing Tantrix addicts will love the extra versatility offered by Magnetic Tantrix.
The metal board measures 30cm x 23cm and the magnetic tiles measure c. 2 cm across. The whole set, including packaging, weighs 720g.
Click here to find out how you can obtain a Tantrix set
Educational Aspects
Don't worry, you'll be having far too much fun to notice this, but Tantrix is very educational too. Players can develop strategic thinking, non-verbal problem-solving skills, visuo-spatial abilities and planning and memory skills - and all totally painlessly!
We have a school activity guide for use with the 10-tile sets - you can download copies in PDF format from our downloads page.
