"Crystal Method" by Darius
Suggested Retail USD$40.00
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 7 Out of 10

"Crystal Method", a gimmick by Darius, is one of those things that is either going to be loved or hated -- there's no fence-sitting with this one -- and will either knock spectators for a loop or leave them questioning your sanity.

When I first opened the package and saw what I saw, I was less than impressed. No, that's not right: I was completely and utterly and angrily disappointed. As a power-consumer of all things magic, I'm used to disappointing -- surprisingly, there's little that is as wonderful as the ad copy itself -- but this was beyond the pale. But I'm also used to psyching myself out, so I put it down, walked away and came back to "Crystal Method" later.

Surprisingly, I'm pretty glad I did.

See, I bought into the ads about being able to "transfer signatures from card to card" and "[creating] duplicate initialed cards" and was pretty much expecting what I got, but it needed to be made better to be used for that purpose. Straight up, using it for that as you imagine it is probably the easiest way there is to get busted. That observation can put a sour taste in your mouth that a gallon of Listerine wouldn't get rid of.

But that's really not all that happens here and, if you're buying "Crystal Method" for just that, you're going to hate this with a passion, cuss and swear and throw the thing into the nearest trash receptacle if not simply put a torch to it and burn the creator, Darius, in effigy.

"Crystal Method" actually allows you to perform some work that is very slick. Things like having a card selected, signed, wrapped in a handkerchief and held by a spectator disappear only to reappear in the performer's mouth. Or doing a cool routine where a selected and signed card disappears from the deck under some pretty tight conditions only to appear once in the card box and again in a small matchbox. Or a quick little mental revelation that, really, opens up a whole can of ideas and uses for the gimmick. Or a neat take on the "Omni Deck" theme, sans block of plastic.

And on and on it goes. Those routines, by the way, are just some of the things that are packed onto the DVD that serves as the documentation for "Crystal Method", and are good in and of themselves, but some of the ideas used in those routines have some real meat to them and will serve as a pretty tight springboard to hit on some other ideas.

Really, that's what's the good part about "Crystal Method": those other ideas. Frankly, the signature-duplicating thing turns me off pretty healthily: the lighting can't be all that good, you have to hold the deck in almost a stranglehold... and even then you're likely to get busted. But the other uses and ideas for this one? Now those are worth examining.

"Crystal Method", though, is not cheap and, for the cost -- and eliminating that whole "signature" thing, which is surely the big draw here -- the extra work may make the price a bit steep. But there is some neat playing to be done here, and a couple of the routines are good enough to warrant serious consideration as workers.

In the end, though, the recommendation on this one is pretty easy:

If you're only after the "signature" and "initial" part of this, "Crystal Method" is probably going to feel like a huge waste of money; pass it by.

If you like to play with things, like to do a bit of experimenting with off-beat ideas, and get a kick out of new toys with some potential built into them, then you'll love "Crystal Method" and it'll be a bargain.

"Crystal Method" by Darius
In a Blink: 7 Out of 10

Practicality: 8
Depending on what you do with the gimmick(s), this can be either perfectly practical or downright dangerous. However, for the most part, there are only a few considerations to worry with, specifically lighting (too much and you can be caught in some routines) and reseting (there may be a trip to the bathroom in your future). All in all, this is a pretty practical piece of work.

Workmanship: 5
I'm not going to hit this too hard because mine might have been messed up in shipping. However, a number of the gimmicks (you're given a deck of them) took a lot of "massaging" to make them usable. Nothing drastic, certainly, but aggravating. The other problem? The gimmick is way too visible for a lot of the more obvious tricks it will likely be employed for.

Documentation: 10
The documentation is, in a word, superb. Supplied entirely on DVD, with great production values (including PIP secondary shots) and lots of details about the routines, with enough extras and brain food to keep the ideas coming, you'll walk away knowing the routines and probably generating more of your own.

Effect: n/a
It all depends on what you do with it, like most other gimmicks. Generally speaking, though, the presented routines are fairly powerful on their own.

Presentation: n/a
Again, it all depends on you and how you use the gimmicks. The supplied routines run the gamut, but all are fairly solid stuff with one or two exceptional pieces.

Shane

Available direct from your favorite dealer. Dealers, please contact Murphy's Magic Supplies, Inc. toll-free at 1-800-853-7403 or visit Murphy's Magic Supplies website.