Issue 25 - March 09
Pentacle
Craig Petty
Available from www.worldmagicshop.co.uk
Price: £15.00
When I received an email letting me know that one of World Magic Shop’s new releases for Blackpool ‘Pentacle’ was about to hit my doorstep for review I was intrigued to see what would arrive. So, what is ‘Pentacle’ I hear you ask?
Well, simply put, it is a clever new gimmicked card from the mind of Steve Bates. At first glance, you may be inclined to think that there’s no way anyone would fool you with such a simple gimmick. But minutes into watching the DVD that accompanies it, you soon realise that it really does look convincing and what’s more, it makes incredible looking card magic really easy!
The DVD supplied contains 11 routines from Craig Petty using the Pentacle card. These range from packet tricks to full deck tricks. There’s also Craig’s colour changing deck routine as a special bonus.
What’s also nice about the DVD is that there is a card sleights section. Craig teaches all the sleights he uses in his performances, so there’s none of the “control the card using your favourite method, etc” that seems to be the trend on many DVDs nowadays. All the sleights taught can be used with or without the gimmicked card and are worth the price alone. Let’s have a look at a couple of my favourite effects that are included:
First up is ‘Mental Blank’ - a freely chosen card changes colour on the back and becomes blank on the front whilst held in the spectator’s hand. This combines both magic and mentalism and really is great for layman.
Next is ‘Cards to Pocket’ - this is my favourite effect from the DVD and is saved for last in the performance section. A classic plot that is made extremely easy due to the ‘Pentacle’ gimmick. It looks great.
It doesn’t take a mathematical genius to work out that 12 effects plus 2 gimmicked cards (printed in Red and Blue on Bicycle stock) is great value for money.‘Pentacle’ really is a great example that good magic doesn’t have to be hard to do! Buy one. PS
What’s Hot: Excellent gimmick with endless possibilities
What’s Not: Filming location could have been better
Star Rating: ****
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