I've said it before . . . Will Tsai is a genius. This type of product is easy to review, not because it's good (though it is good), but because you basically have to look at whether or not it does what it claims, and whether or not the method is workable. That's it. This one, unbelievably lives up to exactly what it claims.

Ad Copy

The ad copy leaves out an important detail that I'll mention first. Without this detail, the trick actually doesn't seem that good, but with this detail, it becomes a miracle, so I'm surprised they didn't mention it. The detail is this: You mail (or give) your client a CD in advance of the show (and before the event that you're predicting occurs). When you read the ad copy, they left that out.

Now, think about this. The disk is sent to the client before the Super Bowl (for example). Then during your show (the day after the Super Bowl), you prove your prediction to be correct. And you do it exactly the way the ad copy claims. Namely: the spectator opens the envelope on stage; she puts the CD in the CD player herself; she pushes the play button herself. The message plays (proving your prediction). After the message plays, she pushes the eject button on the CD player. She removes the CD; she keeps the CD. She is NOT a stooge. As impossible as that sounds, that is exactly what you get. I'm sure you can see my point that mentioning the fact that the spectator has the CD well in advance makes a big difference.

Method

Ok. After reading that, you might think that the method is too hard, or not practical, or this or that. However, the method is incredibly simple. It's actually self-working. You have to supply your CD player (think boom-box style). For $45 bucks you get the "stuff" needed to gimmick your CD player to do all the work for you. It's a one time preparation that'll take you 30 to 60 minutes. Once you've done that, you're done, and you'll never have to do the work on the CD player again.

Once you've set up your CD player, the one time, the rest is self-working. The CD player "gimmicking" will go completely unnoticed by your spectator. The whole thing is kind of a miracle. As for the quality of the gimmick supplied, it's very good. You'll get exactly what you need to gimmick your CD player, and the materials used are of excellent quality and will last a very long time. In fact, they'll likely outlast the CD player.

Production Quality

Typically SansMinds productions are a bit low budget. This one is no exception. However, it typically doesn't get in the way of learning the material. Again, this one is no exception. Even with the minor weaknesses (low lighting, rough audio in places, etc.), it's still a cinch to learn what you need.

Final Thoughts

A few considerations to think about: first, because you have to bring your own CD player to the performance, it's the kind of thing that's better suited for a more formal show where you have control of the props, and you're not likely to run into someone wanting to use their own CD player. Second, if they open the CD before the show, the jig is up. Will Tsai does have a couple of pointers on that, so you're not totally screwed. Like all prediction effects of this nature (i.e., you've mailed something in advance), you have to have some way of ensuring that the client doesn't open the envelope in advance.

Obviously, if you don't plan on ever performing a prediction effect of this nature, then it'd be pointless to get this. However, if you do any kind of prediction effect like this where you send the prediction in advance, you'd be crazy not get this. The effect is a pure as it gets, and the method is self working. You just have to focus on presentation.

Final Verdict:
5 Stars with a Stone Status of Complete and Total GEM!