[b]logically[/b] is an excellent minimalist puzzle collection. it imitates pen & paper puzzlers and goes for a single-button approach, which leads to some awkwardness in controls here and there (e.g.: you'd instinctively use right click to unmark something instead of pressing left multiple times to change the state of the tile), but overall it's a lot of fun. there's even a [b]hefty pdf manual[/b] that can be a nice companion read while playing.
I'll talk more about the [b]8 puzzle types[/b] below, they're a good variety of [b]number games and deduction-based puzzlers[/b], even classics like [i]battleships[/i] or [i]domino[/i] have a nice spin on them, and the game offers [b]endless randomly generated levels[/b] and you can choose between [b]3 game modes[/b].
in [u]practice[/u] you can choose any of the 8 puzzle types or let the game pick a random one, then select a difficulty range (level 1-3, 4-6 or 7-9), which affects size and thus complexity, and let the game throw random levels at you to solve in your own time. [b]no puzzle names or any preliminary info about them here[/b], which is not ideal, but the former is not that important and the latter is addressed both by the manual nobody will bother reading (I did) and the [b]in-game help screen while playing a level[/b].
[u]timed mode[/u] is more like a campaign. it predictably has a timer and easier levels to start with, but they get more and more difficult as you keep solving them (starred ones are especially challenging). there is always a choice of 3 random puzzle types, each providing different rewards, and [b]the goal is to get enough keys to unlock the padlock and move to the next stage[/b]. keys come in different colors, so it's not just a matter of solving x puzzles of any kind, and other [b]rewards include yellow stars for more points, extra time and extra lives[/b]. you start with 3 lives, failing a level takes one away, lose all and it's game over. if you run out of time, lives get substituted for some extra time as well.
[b]despite my hatred of anything timed, it's kinda fun[/b], though of course very stressful because of the clock ticking down while you're trying to think. the end-of-level screen is skippable to show results immediately, but the sounds here are a bit harsh. also, [b]mid-level saving is not possible, but your progress is saved between levels[/b].
not to brag, but [u]survival mode[/u] is the result of my complaints about the timer. same general idea, but [b]no clock or lives here, instead you have tickets[/b] that act like the latter: you start with 8 and need one to play a level and if you fail, another one is lost, game over if you run out. it's worth noting that [b]they're not a permanent reward for every completed level[/b], so you can't necessarily play forever, best to pick levels carefully.
[b]reroll[/b] is another reward unique to this mode, after finishing a level offering this, all 3 challenges will be replaced with new ones. I feel this would work better as a consumable to use in a sticky situation, but it also adds a random risk element, so I'm not totally against it. I found [b]this mode a lot of fun[/b], even more so than timed.
as said above, [b]puzzle-specific rules are available while playing[/b], with the occasional hint or two, and you can consult the manual for more details, including a full rundown of solving a sample puzzle of each type. on the screen there's also a [b]puzzle reset button (can be used without consequences in any mode)[/b] and the tick button acts as everything else, which is a bit weird. create your solution, press the tick to see if you won or failed, then witness the correct solution if you made mistakes, then click the tick again to get a new level. the [b]slow transition between the correct solution and yours is not ideal[/b], I'd prefer a button to switch between them for easier comparison.
all in all, [b]logically is a highly recommended puzzle collection even at full price[/b]. there are separate volume settings, windowed mode (resizable, size is saved between sessions), multiple profiles and local highscores too. and with that, I'll move on to talk about the puzzles themselves.
[h1]beams[/h1]
you have circled numbers on a grid and have to draw that many lines from each without lines crossing each other, filling the entire board. you can have lines in multiple directions from the same focus (that's what the circles are called), and clicking the same tile changes line orientation if there are multiple circles around it. it'd be nice if completed (but not necessarily correct) numbers changed colors, but it's a neat concept, [b]one of my favorites in the game[/b].
[h1]domino[/h1]
place domino tiles on the board full of numbers. click two numbers and the '+' icon to place a tile or '-' to remove one. can be vertical or horizontal, and of course 4-2 works as 2-4 too. at first I thought drag & drop controls would be better, but '-' can also be used to [b]create a barrier between two numbers[/b] to prevent them from hooking up with a neighbor they shouldn't connect to, so it's not as easy as it first seems and I didn't really like it for some reason.
[h1]no three[/h1]
place black and white circles on the board, but no more than two of the same color can be next to each other and the black/white ratio has to be equal in every row and column without two horizontal or vertical lines being the same. very [b]sudoku-like[/b], so not something for me. since it's single-button controls, one click places a white circle, another changes it to black, a third clears the tile.
[h1]logic game[/h1]
your typical 'if a is b, then...' kinda stuff. fill the grid with circles where the intersection is true (the math book is on aisle 5), put an 'x' if not (every other aisle for the math book). there can't be more than one circle in each row/column of an area, but there has to be one, and if everything's marked correctly in the upper section, you can submit the solution, no need to do the rest. the topic is just fluff, can be about books in the library, galleons, paintings, etc. but it's nice to have some variety. I love deduction-based stuff, so [b]this is my second favorite puzzle type[/b], but they could've thought of a better name.
[h1]find the path[/h1]
connect pre-placed numbers on a grid with a single line in increasing order, so start with 1 and mark 4 tiles to reach 6, etc. you have to cover the entire board, so the highest pre-placed number is not necessarily the end, and you can do sections out of order too (connect 15 to 23 before doing 1 to 15 or whatever). pretty basic stuff.
[h1]battleships[/h1]
place boats on a grid without them being next to each other horizontally, vertically or diagonally, and the numbers around the grid determine how many ship pieces can be in that given row or column. as usual, one click places water, another a question mark, a third clears a tile. multiple question marks next to each other turn into ships (single-tile ships are also possible). it needs some getting used to, but it's [b]slightly nonogram-like and my absolute favorite here[/b].
[h1]numerical pyramid[/h1]
another classic, fill empty boxes with numbers that are sums of the two boxes below them. keyboard doesn't work, only a numpad with mouse, which is a bit cumbersome, plus it's too much math for my taste, but the triangle method described on the help screen is a big help.
[h1]dark boxes[/h1]
a grid of numbers shows how many dark blue squares are in each number's neighboring area, including diagonals and the number itself. it's like [b]hexcells or delete[/b] but more basic. love the concept, but it's not my favorite here, area highlighting would help.
