Professor Layton and the Lost Future

Today's the first of November, which means it's time for National Blog Posting Month again. Let's see how well this one goes...

Now, it's really tempting to end the post with that, but a) that's a bit of a cop-out, and b) I think I did that last year. Let me check... okay, so it's not quite a repeat of last year, but it's still a cop-out and I'll get soundly mocked by talismancer if I try that this early in the month.

So. What has the boggyb been up to recently? Well, amongst other things I've been playing Professor Layton and the Lost Future, which is a real gem of a puzzle game. I've always liked puzzle games, and Professor Layton excels at this by being a puzzle game *with* plot. Lost Future begins by you receiving a letter from the future, with instructions on how to get there. Of course, nothing is quite what it seems, and the game is full of plot twists. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but I do recommend the series to anyone who likes puzzles.

It's taken me about 12 hours to beat the main plot, and along the way I've solved all the main puzzles (there's one or two I've not found yet), along with a couple of the unlockable puzzles and most of the side quests. Unlike what TV Tropes would have you believe I've also collected enough picarats for most of the unlockables, and should be easily able to get enough to unlock the rest with the bonus and secret puzzles. I've not got as many as I'd like though, as the game delights in trick puzzles. Consider this one as an example:


The following equation is formed of ten matchsticks, and uses Roman numerals:

I + IX = X
What's the fewest number of matches you need to move to make it a valid equation?

(no subject)

Okay, so I got the puzzle wrong in the previous post. Thanks to olego and delta_mike for catching that. It should actually be:

I + XI = X
Now, what's the fewest number of matches you need to move to make it a valid equation?