“I’m not any better at it at 35 than I was at 10. Although, strictly speaking, that may not be a fault with the Rubik’s Cube.”

Buy online at Amazon

Price £7.75

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Initial thoughts: We’ve recently reviewed the Rubiks 360 on this site, and I found it completely impossible. So I was delighted to get the chance to test out a classic Rubik’s Cube, and demonstrate to my child that I do, in fact, have SKILLZ (as the kids say) in the puzzle cube department.

This is the classic Rubik’s cube you remember from your own childhood, although there’s now a dinky logo in the centre square that I don’t recall from first time around. The aim is to mix up the cube and then try and turn and twist it to create six sides of different colours. Simple, right?

We liked: Turns out, I’m just as rubbish at this puzzle as I am at other puzzles. In fact, now I think about it, I’m sure I just cheated when I was a kid by taking the cube apart and putting it together in the right order (I suspect sometimes, too, I just swapped the stickers around). Hmm.

I like that this version comes with a seven-step solution guide so you can solve the puzzle when everyone else has gone to bed, retaining your ‘genius’ credentials. My niece, however, turned out to be a complete natural at this, and was fascinated by it. The cube is very tactile and annoyingly compelling, too – it’s genuinely hard to put down.

We weren’t keen: I hated that I wasn’t any better at it at 35 than I was at 10. But that’s not necessarily a fault with the game.

Overall: There are 43 quintillion (that’s 18 zeros) moves possible with a Rubik’s cube, so this isn’t something kids will solve in an afternoon and then leave aside. That makes it great value, and if it keeps the kids occupied while you’re busy making Christmas lunch, so much the better!

[Sally, Who's the Mummy?]