What makes a great puzzle?

Jigsaw Puzzles are as unique and different as the people who put them together. What makes someone choose one puzzle over another? In traditional scenic jigsaw puzzles, the obvious answer is "duh...it's the picture!"

Or is it? A lot goes into a jigsaw puzzle and each piece is a component of the jigsaw puzzle experience. For instance, the board that a puzzle is made from greatly affects how well the puzzle gets cut, stays together, and looks. For years "European Green Board" was considered the Cadillac of puzzle boards, these days many premium puzzles are made from Blue Board while the overwhelming majority of puzzles are still made from brown or gray chip board.

Some puzzles are thicker than others, some have textured paper, some have vibrant printing techniques. Some puzzles are waxed before being cut, some have more dust in the bag than others...some don't even have a bag! Some puzzles have unique shapes or large pieces.

One of the recent developments in scenic jigsaw puzzles is the inclusion of a poster in the box as an aid in assembly. Years ago, this wasn't necessary because the boxes were large enough that you could see the picture on the front. Today, most puzzles that are sold in mass market retailers (Target, Wal-Mart, Toys R Us, Kmart, etc) must be in the same sized box, typically 8"x8"x3". This makes it pretty hard for the typical puzzle lover to choose a certain brand of jigsaw puzzle...since they all look pretty much alike. Plus, it makes the size of the picture on the front really, really small (Look for an entry on this sometime soon as its a terrible thing for the consumer AND puzzle companies.)

In some countries, especially Japan, the jigsaw puzzle is held to the highest standard. It will be on premium board, it will feature bright beautiful imagery and when its completed, it will be framed and displayed. I'm told that the Japanese consider it a piece of wall art and not so much of an activity.

For me, though I design jigsaw puzzles for a living, I don't actually put together very many. While I love a well made puzzle, I'm generally pretty forgiving. I put together about seventy five percent of it then run out of time or interest. I love the feeling in my brain when I match the patterns in the picture, but I'm not driven to complete the whole thing. I notice small defects and uniquely shaped pieces, both with equal interest.

I guess my point is just that puzzles are much more than just pretty pictures. What do you think?