Tech is my jam. I think that’s pretty obvious though. After all, I manage a tech-focused website, write for a bunch of other tech sites, and am constantly blabbing about new gear. But that doesn’t mean I’m blind to the perils of modern experience. AI poses some real threats and concerns. Data tracking and privacy-intrusions are off the charts. Cybersecurity is always a concern and you cannot trust any company, no matter how big, to keep your information safe. Sometimes, you just need to step away and take a break. But it’s tough to do that when most of our entertainment is tied to online services and data-based devices. The good news is that there are still analog gadgets out there, like the GiiKER Super Decoder.

GiiKER is an analog puzzle game, with 600 levels to crack, that uses a series of colorful lights on a board to encourage logical reasoning. It’s portable, runs on traditional batteries, and works great for kids five and up. My two littles absolutely love it and I have been pleasantly surprised by how enthralled they are with the device. Not that I allow them to stay on tablets and mobile devices constantly — they do have time limits — but they’ve put down their screen gadgets for this thing quite a bit and I’m impressed.

What is it, though? And what kind of puzzles and games can you play on the GiiKER Super Decoder? Have no fear my jolly fellow techies, and non-techies, that’s precisely what I’m going to walk you through here. Grab a drink and a snack if you haven’t already and let’s turn this thing on.

How does GiiKER Super Decoder work?

The GiiKer Super Decoder is a delightful puzzle game. The goal is to guess the right sequence of colors, like a code. There is no touchscreen, no high-resolution LCD. Only vibrant LEDs that illuminate in different hues. When you turn it on, by twisting the dial at the top, it beeps and illuminates. The first mode is a series of puzzles delivered in numerical order. The bottom left panel tells you the puzzle number you’re on and it continues from the previous play session — so it sort of saves your progress in this way. It counts up from zero until you complete all the puzzles.

On the left hand side of the device is a slider. Up is easy mode, down is advanced. There are 600 levels total to progress through. 100 of those levels are in the easy mode with the slider up. 500 of those levels are in advanced mode with the slider down. You have seven moves to guess the four-color combination.

When you start each puzzle the top row of lights illuminate in different hues. You have to basically cycle through each square or block individually and guess the color that should be in that spot. In easy mode, you’re shown direct hints below each panel. In advanced mode, the hints are indirect. You see a green light for a color that’s in the right spot, white when it’s not. If there’s no light underneath a square that means the color shown is not on the board. Sometimes, you have extra colors to cycle through to make the code, especially on the tougher levels. The green and white hints still show up in advanced mode but they’re moved over to the side.

Knobs, dials, and lights, oh my

To make a selection you use the orange knob, twisting it to cycle through colors. You press it in once to move from space to space and press and hold to lock in an answer when you think you’ve guessed the right sequence. When you beat a level it plays a little tune and moves on to the next. If you fail, it plays a different tune and you start over from the current level you’re on. So, if you fail level 42, you just redo level 42 and keep going from there. While this might seem a little too forgiving, I think it’s excellent for younger players. It always feels like you’re making some kind of progress.

To swap to duo mode for multiple players, you need to slide the antenna-like knob at the top all the way open, and two lights will turn on — red and green. In that mode, you take turns, one person setting up a code, the other person guessing.

It’s actually a lot of fun and super addicting. Once you start you won’t want to stop. My kids absolutely love it. And because it doesn’t use a lot of power we can bring it with us everywhere, plus it’s pretty darn portable. It’s fantastic for keeping little ones busy on road trips or in restaurants while waiting for food. I’ve even used it myself between writing articles for various publications, just to clear up my mind and get it a little less fuzzy.

What’s the verdict, and the price?

No, this isn’t some revelatory review. Most of mine aren’t. They’re simple, just as the GiiKER Super Decoder is simple. It’s easy to use and fun to play and it keeps my kids, and my family, entertained for quite a while. I would say that’s well worth the cost. Nevermind the fact that you get about 600 unique puzzles in your pocket ready to play anytime, anywhere. It’s also pretty durable, made of hard plastic with individual parts and components that also seem like they could take a beating.

We’ve encountered more than a few people asking what it is and what it does while we were out and about. That tells me we’re not the only ones interested in this kind of toy. Really, I would classify it as more educational than something like a retro handheld. There are no screens, no rechargeable batteries — unless you add them yourself. It’s just a logical, light-based game that involves turning a knob and pushing some buttons. It’s a nice break from the high-tech gadgets you normally see. At full price, it’s not expensive at all, but on sale it’s quite the steal. If you have kids of your own I think you’ll be surprised at how fast they pick it up without reading any instructions.

• Recommended Buy: Yes.
• For Who: Those who want to take a break from screen-based electronics to train some brain power.
• Alternative: GiiKER Smart Sudoku Puzzle 
• MSRP: $50