Splice is an elegant, minimalist new puzzle game, created by Cipher Prime and available for the iPad and on Steam. Each level presents you with a small number of genes, which you must organize into a precise shape. (Actually, I am not sure if these are “genes” or “microbes” or what, but only “genes” lets me use the headline pun. So it shall be.) Genes can be moved around — spliced — as long as you follow a couple of very simple rules: You only get a certain number of splices on each level, and each gene can have no more than two other genes connected to it. That’s pretty much it.

Sounds straightforward enough, but it is not always easy to predict what will happen as a result of a given splice, and making those predictions is the key to solving advanced levels. Be prepared to restart certain puzzles a few times, especially as special genes are introduced, making things even more complicated: There are genes that will mutate into two new ones, other genes that will destroy themselves and anything connected to them, and so on.

The puzzles, of course, grow increasingly devious, but it’s hard to feel tense about it when the game is this beautiful. Each level is simply presented, on a spacy mono-color background and with a calming piano soundtrack. iPad games have of late been following several tired trends — I downloaded one recently that was an exact duplicate of something I played months ago, but with different art — so it is always nice when something truly original comes along. Splice is not only original; it’s delightful, brain-crunching fun as well.

And here I thought all those games were rigged.

BAPHL stands for the Boston Area Puzzle Hunt League, a group of folks who put together day-long puzzle events twice a year. Puzzle-loving types grab their friends, form teams, and collaborate to solve a wide variety of word and logic puzzles, racing to be the first to reach the finish line. (Or, alternatively, taking it casual and not caring if you win or not.) The latest BAPHL event is coming up on September 15. If you’re in Boston or thereabouts, and you read a blog called “PuzzleNation,” you should probably find a team and join the fun! The registration deadline is September 11. If you are interested in attending but can’t find a team, contact the BAPHLers and maybe something can be arranged.

Full disclosure: I’m one of the puzzle constructors for BAPHL 6.

Back in the early 1990s, NYNEX Yellow Pages put together an ingenious series of television commercials. Each one took a heading out of the business section of the phone book, warped its meaning, and then turned that new meaning into a thirty-second sketch. The fun part for us puzzle lovers was in trying to figure out what the pun was going to be before the big reveal at the end.

I’ve found these commercials on YouTube. It’s a shame the name of each commercial is embedded in the filename, which means you’ll likely see the punch line before you have a chance to guess it. That doesn’t make the commercials less wonderful, though.