 |
You can, with a click, quickly access any of these topics and return here, or just scroll down and get to all of them, in this order.
Icons
Graphics
Getting around
Our Logo Movie
The Fast Lane
Puzzle Parlor
Memory Matching Games
Other Amusements
25th Anniversary Celebrations
Coloring Book
The Life of Games
Emmy-winning Video
Other special attractions
Who did it (Site design credits)

Icons
We've provided hot links on some custom symbols. The site's organization lets you reach "Home" (top of the Index page) and nearly anything else within 3 clicks, without ever resorting to the BACK button. Here are the icons you can click on and what they do. (Hint: Some of these are playful hot buttons, too.)
Miniature of Product Index menu brings you directly to the Product Index portion of the Home page. (Have you noticed that it's made of 3 pentominoes joined?)
Purple logos are navigational links.
Green logos access the order form...next to a product, they add the item to your order form; on the bottoms of pages they merely let you view its current status.
Yellow logos appear at the tops of most pages and are an instant beam-out to the top of the Index page ("Home").
Red logos appear at the tops of individual highlight pages and are an alternate link back to the antecedent page.
Multi-color logos at the bottoms of certain sections are a link back to the Fast Lane menu, the quick tour for first-time visitors.

Silver logos denote items or activities connected to Kadon's 25th anniversary celebration throughout the year 2005.
Question marks in the Product Index connect to a brief definition of their topic. Just click them. Click this one for a little demo.
T buttons in the Product Index open the thumbnail gallery of their respective sections, showing at a glance a miniature of every product in that section. The miniatures link to their full-size descriptions.
Red squares at the tops of most pages drop you directly to the bottom of that page or section (psst, this is a secret).
Kadon Enterprises, Inc. or Kadon Enterprises, Inc., wherever highlighted (including here and in any copyright notice at page bottoms) is email contact ... you can reach us with just a click from almost any page.
Whatever color, shape or size, balloons are all hot.
PLAY buttons next to any product description are a link to an interactive area where you can play that puzzle, either by solving in our Puzzle Parlor or as a memory matching game. Elsewhere, like this one, they lead to other playable features.
SEE buttons are a link to relevant and interesting pictures to look at about the topic they accompany.
Treasure chests mark our "Treasured Oldies" puzzles from long ago that went out of print and deserve to be rediscovered and further developed. Click chests for historical notes. (This one challenges you to open the lock.)
buttons move you back up to the top of the section you're in. Most sections consist of more than one part. The "top" is at the beginning of the first part, above the section heading. If you want to leave a section early, you can skip to the top anytime and bail out from there to the Home page by clicking the yellow logo.
buttons drop you to the bottom of the section you're in. Most sections consist of more than one part. The "bottom" is at the end of the last part. You transit between parts by clicking on "Next" or "Continue." If you want to leave a section anytime, just skip to the bottom and go from there to the Index or to the next mystery destination through the secret doorway.
buttons bring the next item on the page into your viewscreen. Neater and quicker than scrolling down, and easier on the eyes, too. They also create smooth transitions between section parts.
buttons are near the top of product sections. Clicking them opens a thumbnail gallery of all the items in that section. So will clicking on the heading balloons. The thumbnails are links to the full-size pictures.
has been added as a reassurance for those who, like our web guru Tom Franklin, like some sense of direction at what appears to be the end of a page. This button occurs in sections that have more than one part. It does the same thing the "Next" button does, moving you into the next part of that section.
Secret doorways lead to other sections and form a complete loop through the entire gamepuzzles gallery. There's one at the end of every product section, with playful names like "Wormhole" and "Transporter Room" (yes, we like Star Trek).
Bears appear seasonally or with special messages. Before Christmas they link to special pages about holiday orders, gift-wrapping, shipping instructions, and early-order bonuses. At New Year's a couple of cheery bears drink a toast. On certain custom order pages the bear takes a bow for the extra service. This one has his own ideas.
Silver emblems commemorate the 25th anniversary of Kadon and products we've made for 25 years.


Graphics
All the puzzle graphics, other than photos, are shown at relative scale except where noted. A couple of the really large sets wouldn't have fit on your screen otherwise. Please see the text for specific sizes.
The graphics are as true to the real thing as you can get ... they're from the same CADD program our laser uses to cut the pattern. And while the colors of the graphics can only approximate the beauty, vividness and hue of the acrylic puzzles, and individual variations of your browser and monitor may also alter their actual appearance a bit, the illustrations are a good general guide.
Photos are not to scale since the subjects vary greatly in relative size. With many of the products shown in photos we've provided an enlarged view you can access by clicking on the small one. The file size is indicated for the larger image. We've compressed them to speed your download time.
For the animated graphics and interactive features of our Puzzle Parlor, we are indebted to the wizards at Shockwave and their Flash technology and the artistry of Chris Palmer.
Some playful graphics are hidden here and there: a cat that walks through walls, a teddybear who takes a bow, a logo that separates into puzzle pieces that dance around, and other surprises and prizes to be added from time to time. Have fun finding them!


Getting around
We've grouped the games and puzzles in sections by categories
or themes. Some items may appear in more than one section. You can
visit the various areas by clicking on their captions in the
Product Index or the Site Map. An extended list of categories, each with its own thumbnail gallery, is in the Search Index.
At the top of each section you'll see how many items and pages it contains and a list of the games therein. Their links let you visit them in any order, or you can move down the page sequentially by scrolling or clicking the "Next" button. The partitioning of the list gives a picture of what's on each page. The pages are numbered. A link at page bottoms leads to the next page. The section name at top of each page links back to that section's first page.
Clicking the "Browse" button or section title balloon opens a thumbnail gallery of all the games in that section, for a quick overview. Click the thumbnail picture to take you to that game. From each game you can return to the "Top" of the section or skip to its "Bottom" by clicking those buttons. You can also open the thumbnail galleries with the T buttons in the Product Index on the home page.
Many products in each section have individual highlight pages linked from their text or illustration. Go there only if you want additional information, such as larger pictures, color choices, or more detailed explanations of game rules or other interesting facts about that specific product. A highlight page always links you back to its product. You never need to use your BACK button.
About pages that open in new windows: For your ease of navigation, a referenced page will open in a new window unless it has a link back. That way you can use the link back or, if there isn't one, just close the new window, and you'll be back on the page you started from. No way to get lost, and no need ever to use the BACK button.
At the end of each section you can choose to return to
the Index for the next area to visit, or contact us by email or phone, or access the Order Form about any purchases you'd like to make, or take a shortcut to another section through playfully named portals in the lower left corner.
To take a Grand Tour of the entire gamepuzzles gallery without repeatedly returning to the Product Index, always follow the playful portals at the end of each section, starting at the bottom of the Index page (marked Entrance).
If you're looking for a particular game by name,
go to the Alphabetical Listing in the Product Index and click on the product name for direct access.
If you're shopping by price, see the Indexed by Price listing.
If you're looking for special features, check the Search Index.
We've tried to make your visit here as pleasant, convenient and inviting as possible. We hope you'll visit often and purchase our games for your continuing enjoyment.


Our Logo Movie
Click on the big yellow W at the top of our home page to view a Flash movie. If you need a Flash plug-in, you'll see the link for a free download. This short subject animates five different pentomino designs. The 12 pieces first spell out the five letters of our company name, KADON. Each letter leads to one of the five ways 4 pentominoes can form a doubled W. Their solutions are embedded within a moving "dance" of 9 pieces that form a tripled W. Sound confusing? It'll make sense when you see the movie. After each design you can click the next one or "Home" to return to the index page. Why pentominoes? Because Kadon's first product, Quintillions, was founded on them, and they have inspired everything else we've created. The movie was made by Chris Palmer using Flash technology, from concept and solutions by Kate Jones. There are five miniature animations hidden throughout the website that can be viewed without Flash. Here is one sampler.


The Fast Lane
For first-time visitors the sheer size of the gamepuzzles website can be overwhelming, so we've provided a Fast Lane with its own brief menu for a quick tour that gives an overview of just a few highlights. It takes in the Hottest Sellers, For Youngest Players, and Games Magazine selects sections, plus the FAQ (frequently asked questions) page and entrance to the Puzzle Parlor. We hope visitors will be made comfortable enough by this short first trip to want to take a more leisurely cruise through the other parts of the site eventually.


Puzzle Parlor
Come on in for online play to sample some of our puzzles. Requires a Flash-4 plugin (available for free download from Macromedia) and 4.0 browser or better. Each puzzle provides three challenges of different ranks of difficulty. Players use the mouse to click, drag and drop puzzle pieces into enclosures of various sizes and shapes, somewhat like the trays the real puzzles occupy. Each game layout also has a link back to the gamepuzzles homepage (Index page), back to the Puzzle Parlor menu, and to an ordering page for purchasing the hands-on puzzle, with color choices illustrated. Visit often additions to the repertoire are always in the works!


Memory Matching Games
Sharpen your memory and visual perception with classic "concentration" games we've customized for our gamepuzzles. Twelve puzzle pieces or other images are hidden in pairs behind 24 tiles you click to reveal an image. Click a matched pair and they disappear. How fast can you clear all 12 pairs? Play this game with all these different themes some are hidden, some have surprise endings. Just click their PLAY buttons or links wherever you may encounter them. Or here:
the 12 pieces of Quintillions
the 12 pieces of Iamond Hex
the 12 different color pairs of Diamond Rainbow
the 12 different non-symmetrical teddybears in Bear Hugs Jr.
the 6 numbers in two colors each of Six Disks
the 4 tiles in 3 colors each of Rombix Jr.
the 12 two-color tiles of Multimatch I
the 12 two-color tiles of Multimatch II
a dozen familiar objects you'd see during a Beach Vacation
our 12 most popular puzzles for kids, in Joy for Kids, with an adorable surprise ending
a dozen sneaky numbers "25" for our 25th Anniversary celebration
12 all-different little Christmas trees
12 color pairs of stacked Looney Pyramids
Some other memory games are hidden in unexpected places as part of our collection of secret surprises. We won't tell you where the entrances are, but the puzzles themselves are these:
12 differently colored Kadon logos
Karen Glatt's 12 darling animals
12 mountainous nations'/states' flags
Names of 12 popular dances
A strange and mysterious group of numbers


Other Amusements
A variety of play activities are tucked away here and there. You may find them by chance as you browse in the backrooms of this site, or get to them from this list. Your solutions may win a prize. We'll add new games here from time to time as we think of them or find them. Those marked with * are by others; we share them here because they're great fun and kin to our own material. A few use paper and pencil, not your mouse.
Annigramsa triple anagram puzzle
Double Entendretwo words overlap with dual letters
Leapfroga classic jumping switch-places solitaire (needs Java enabled)
Logo matchstick puzzlestopological transformations
Logo maze puzzlefind the connecting route in exactly 25 moves
Logo path puzzlefind the shortest route
Magic Heptominoesfind the 5 missing pieces
Ten-Yen 3-layer problemthe search for more shapes
Vee-21 three-color problemthe search for more solutions
Word Pingponga bouncy word game
Logo Dances (from 5 secret links)
Wanna Play? Links Maze Puzzle (from a secret link)
AlienTiles*online game on Cliff Pickover's site
Color Test*a left-right brain twister from Humorsphere
Combination Lock*deduce the right numbers on Ian Andrew's site
Hexagrams*a matching game by Eric Solomon, play on his site
PathPix*download gorgeous pathforming puzzles by Kris Pixton from her site
Ping Pong*adrenaline rush in simulated table tennis on a Rumanian site
Planarity*move nodes to untangle crossed lines on creator John Tantalo's site
Puzzle Express*fill railroad cars with polyominoes from RealArcade site
SquareMatch*match colored squares on Toby Gottfried's site
Squares*match up fish on a brilliant Danish site; may require log-in
U.S. Map*place the states on the Sheppard Software site
Some of these games may require your browser to have Java enabled. For Microsoft Internet Explorer, click Tools > Internet Options > Advanced, then scroll down to 'JIT Enabled' and check the check-box. If you still get a blank, download the latest Java plug-in.

25th Anniversary Celebrations
We've prepared 25 special events, mementos and memorabilia to celebrate having completed 25 years in business. They were introduced throughout the year 2005 and even later, in various places around the website. The Silver Anniversary Index lists them all for easy overview and access. Find them by their silver logos or a silver number 25.


Coloring Book
We present a cool online entertainment paint a meta-graphic design (DUALITY by Kate Jones) in any way that pleases you, from our presented palette of hues, and name it, save it, print it or send it to friends. The design is a geometric abstract with metaphysical themes. With just a few clicks of the paint tool, you can bring out the meanings you see. Use the supplied .GIF template in your paint program, or paint it online in the
Flash Painter version (Flash-5 plugin required, free to download from Macromedia). Permanent art pieces in lasercut acrylic can also be ordered, to your color specifications. New designs to come.


The Life of Games
A unique online journal of scholarly and exploratory articles on the subject of why and how we play. . . How games have been an important part of every culture throughout history; how we know what rules are, and why we want rules. Fascinating unfolding of ideas, well edited and attractively presented. Founded October 1999. Come explore with us. Articles from interested thinkers and writers are invited. New issues added from time to time.


Emmy-winning Video
A four-minute segment about Kadon's beautiful, mathematically inspired puzzles, with narration by Kate Jones, was produced by Violet Carberry for Maryland Public Television in 2002 as part of its "Artworks this Week" program. It won an Emmy for short subject in April 2003. The file is 28MB, so allow plenty of download time (an hour or more) if you don't have DSL.

Other special attractions
Other features on this website include a Postings bulletin board for your comments and questions (temporarily disabled and possibly terminally compromised by spam invasions), a Mini-Quiz for fun and fame, a list of Contests we sponsor, a considerable Resources section of links to other useful sites, a calendar of Shows where we'll appear, an FAQ page, and background information about who we are. Then visit the Maryland Renaissance Festival, and don't miss our mascot. There are also .pdf files you can download and print out for a condensed paper catalog.
For lots of useful information, see New Stuff, where we update you on additions and announcements; How to Order and how to Contact us. The Search Index provides a quick overview of all the product categories, with links to thumbnail galleries. This Site Features page [you are here] gives a summary and description of all the special features. For a complete sweep of all the parts, visit the Site Map.

Who did it
Site design, layout, text and coding are by Kate Jones, originally with HotDog Web Editor 16-Bit, v2.55, GemDraw 2.01 and Paint Shop Pro 5.01; now with Microsoft Notepad for Windows 98, Paint Shop Pro 8, and Freehand 9. Product graphics by Chuck Coates, Chris Palmer and Kate Jones. Additional graphics by Kate Jones and Michael Keller. Product photography by Richard Grainger, Dick Jones and Thomas Atkinson. Scanning by Dick Jones. Walking cat and bowing bear animations by Arthur Blumberg. Memory Matching Games graphics by Kate Jones, javascript program by Karen Glatt. "Pentominoes, the Movie" logo animations, the Coloring Book's Flash Painter interactive format, and the entire Puzzle Parlor interactive program by Chris Palmer. Leapfrog Solitaire JAVA applet by Eric Solomon.
We'd also like to thank Dr. Ali Kooshesh of the computer sciences
department of Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, California, for his
invaluable help in constructing the first draft of the product description pages. Kamran Sedaghatkish's critiques were most helpful in the final stages before launch. Teacher and website creator Tom Franklin taught us the value of hyperlinking abundantly. Matt Kalina, Laser Applications Inc. web guru, mentored us on meta-tags. Peter Aleff advised on color scheme, and Bjarne Viken inspired the streamlining of the homepage. A special tribute to Dick Jones for his continuing support and for bringing home an HTML guidebook.


|