Is that a purple triceratops in my pocket? It sure is! I've also got an ostrich in there. They're part of my Z-Cardz collection, and it's swelling by the day. My collection, that is.

Z-Cardz are tiny pocket puzzles that, upon completion, become 3-D models of tanks, hot rods, land animals, jets, birds, and even "mythological" creatures. Each pack of Z-Cardz comes with five puzzles, and a foldout collector's sheet, which depicts various available puzzle genres, including, Aircraft, Classic Planes, Flying Aces, Motorcycles, Dinosaurs, Wild Animals Wings, Tanks, and others.

Complicated enough to be culpably enjoyable, Z-Cardz are small enough to hide quickly if some hottie gives you the eye. They're small, cheap, and more fun than French ticklers. Well, maybe not that fun, but they're fun nonetheless.

These plastic, credit-card size, die-cut puzzles come without directions or annoying "insert Tab-A into Slot-B" assembly codes (which affably add to the difficulty of assembling them), and sell for under $3 per pack. Completed Z-Cardz models are very small. Nimble fingers and sharp eyes are required to assemble Z-Cardz models, which can double as either a great drinking game, or a viable sobriety test.

Not only can the completed toy models be disassembled and the pieces snapped easily back into the original cards, the amusement doesn't have to end there. Use your Science-given imagination like I do!

Although not the intention of the manufacturers, Z-Cardz puzzles can be combined to create mechanically evolved animal species or bizarre prehistoric bio-technical vehicles. Creating a shambling gorilla with the steering column of a pink Vespa and the colorful ass of a mythical "Unipeg," or an F-4 Phantom jet with ostrich wings, will entertain you and your drunken friends for hours.

With the introduction of new Marvel Universe characters, (coming soon), puzzlers will be able to design their own bizarre mutants, such as Mallard Duck Teeny Hulk, or Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-potamus. Oddly, most toy stores don't yet carry Z-Cardz, so acquiring a complete collection can be as challenging as the puzzles themselves. But what do toy store owners know anyway? They're used to dealing with kid stuff!

www.z-cardz.com