Orchard is no child’s play
For `299, I got myself 40 trees. Ten each of apple, pear, orange and pine. Playing farmer, all I had to do was plant four trees of each type in five rows. The math, however, just doesn’t add up. The rule sheet painstakingly explains how to work your head around the puzzle. Arrange trees so that you can repeat count them in multiple rows. The rule sheet also advises getting one set of trees planted, before going onto the next. I started at the grid till I went bug-eyed. I physically planted and uprooted, initially with careful thought, and later with a reckless sense of hopelessness.
Orchard from Think Tank Games is a part of their formidable Brain Teaser Collection. In an honest reflection of what lay ahead, the box tauntingly asked whether I could solve the challenge within a week. I fear months later, I’m going to be no closer to a solution.
I love the distinctive shapes of the trees. Completely ignorant of anything botanical, I can’t tell which tree is which. It doesn’t take anything away from the game, but it does add to my general state of bewilderment. The play grid is a square patch of farm land, complete with a little farm house. Mounds of earth at regular intervals present possible planting points. I tried close formation patterns. Experimented with inter-cropping innovation. Considered extended rows and wide gaps between individual trees. Nothing worked! It’s intriguing that a puzzle that so completely confounds, can prove to be so riveting!
The author may be contacted at arup_kavan@yahoo.com
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