Ravensburger’s 300 piece puzzles make me very happy; their wonderful, thick pieces were a joy to hold in my hand, and the beautiful image made for an entertaining assembly with just the right amount of difficulty.

The all around quality of Ravensburger puzzles has (almost) never disappointed me. There’s the odd manufacturing snafu that happens, but I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. On the whole, they’re one of the best puzzle brands around in my opinion. The pieces are thick, have a good variety of shapes, and fit together well. The image reproduction is crisp and clean with beautiful colors and a finish that isn’t too shiny and feels good in your hands.

I’ve assembled a few puzzles by this artist, and it seems he’s always able to convey a certain warmth and feeling into the artwork even when the images are vastly different. This image has a small town homey feeling to it, it seems very welcoming to me; plus it was lovely to put together.

It looks as though this puzzle is no longer in production, but if you come across one at a thrift store or yard sale, it’s highly recommended – loved it!

Details:

• Title:                  Mary’s General Store
• Artist:                Joseph Burgess
• Brand:               Ravensburger
• Piece count:     300 pieces
• Size:                  Approx. 27 x 20 in. (69 x 51 cm)
• Purchased:      Used

Quality:

• Board:               Excellent
• Cutting:             Excellent
• Image:               Excellent
• Box:                   Very good, quite large for a 300 piece puzzle
• Fit:                     Very good
• Puzzle Dust:     Small amount
• Piece cut:          Grid cut
• Piece shapes:   Very good variety
• Finish:               Slightly shiny finish, lays flat

Overall Rating:      Excellent, highly recommended