The Good Gift Guide
Sudoku
Expand your mind this Christmas
Sudoku, sometimes spelled Su Doku, is a logic based placement puzzle, also known as Number Place in the United States. The aim of the canonical puzzle is to enter a numerical digit from 1 through 9 in each cell of a 9×9 grid made up of 3×3 subgrids (called "regions"), starting with various digits given in some cells (the "givens"). Each row, column, and region must contain only one instance of each numeral. Completing the puzzle requires patience and logical ability. Its grid layout is reminiscent of other newspaper puzzles like crosswords and chess problems. Although first published in 1979, Sudoku initially became popular in Japan in 1986 and attained international popularity in 2005.
This Sudoku game is now one of the most popular games across the Western World! If you haven't heard of it you must have been living on a desert island for the last 6 months! Saying that, it wouldn't be surprising if the game had found its way to even there - that's how popular it is!
Sudoku is without doubt the most addictive game available at the moment. It is in every paper, every magazine and there are literally hundreds of books available everywhere you look.
They are all fine if you want to carry a big book around or buy a paper every day to get the answers from the day before. But what if you want to play Sudoku on your way to work or in your lunch break, or what if you want to just pop a Sudoku game into your bag to play when you get a few minutes?
Well you will need an Electronic Sudoku Game!
Unlike all the other electronic games available, this one allows you to write your answers (and more importantly your possible answers) down as you play. The re-usable, wipe-clean grid means that you can play Sudoku where you like and as often as you like.
Writing your possible answers is a key part of solving the puzzles - it's not going to be too easy to play the game without being able to do this!
This new electronic Sudoku game will give hours, days, weeks, even years (1 a day for 27 years to be precise!) of fun pitching your wits against the computer to solve the puzzles.
How to play Sudoku
When you buy the electronic Sudoku you're given a console board like the one below:
And you have to fill in the blanks. Each row, column, and marked 3×3 square must contain the numbers 1-9 exactly once.
It sounds really simple. And it is, for the first few squares.
It’s the last few squares that bite you, and then you have to go back and change things, or start over.
Why should you stay away? Because this will eat your time. I picked up one of these today, and it took me over two hours to finish.
Actually, if I had to do another one, it’d probably be a lot easier. The trick to this game comes in the extended entry.
Features of the Electronic Sudoku Game
- Unique Sudoku grid templates to write answers on
- Holds your current game in its memory even when turned off - simply switch it back on and start from where you left off
- Over 10,000 puzzles to play
- Grid cards are dry wipe so can be used again and again
- 20 cards, double sided
- Three types of cards: 6 x 6, 9 x 9 and 12 x 12
- Children’s cards with graphics provide educational fun with numbers
- Hand held and portable for easy travel
- Complete with dry wipe pen
- 2 line LCD display
- 3 levels of difficulty and hints to answers by square, box or complete puzzle
- 2 year warranty
Sudoku
Good Gift Guide Recommendation : 4/5
9 Comments:
My favorite sudoku site is Fiendish Sudoku. It has new puzzles every day at five difficulty levels, and an online solving grid that can give hints and step-by-step solutions with explanations. It also has nice printing facilities.
Sudoku, the name of the Japanese logic puzzle that has taken Britain by storm -- has been named 'word of the year' by the Language Report published Wednesday.
Author Susie Dent said sudoku 'burst onto the scene' in a fraction of the time it would have taken a new word to establish itself even 10 years ago, indicating a shift in the now multicultural English language.
Dent said language gives insight into popular social preoccupations of the time -- including sudoku -- and allows for historical comparisons to be made in leisurely pursuits by studying linguistic novelties.
My 6 year old son has come home from school with his weekend homework - three Sudoku puzzles.
I've seen them in the newspaper, but never paid attention. It was easy enough to work out what was expected, and how to do it, but for a six-year-old?
The grids he's been given are 6x6 - you can see an example at:
http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/Purple%20puzzle%20number%201.pdf
We eventually worked it out together, but am I alone in thinking this is a bit complicated for a six year old?
Andrea, I think I'd put it down to the school finding out which parents are willing to help their children with their homework!
That said the 6 x 6 Sudoku is VERY easy (although obviously I'm not 6 and nor is my daughter however I think my daughter would have managed 6 x 6 grids at 6).. my 10 year old is doing 9 x 9 and 12 x 12 (including with letters and numbers or both)
Hope that helps.
I LOVE SUDOKU puzzles! I read about them and then my son came back from the UK with a newspaper with 4 of them in it! From there I fuel my addiction with a book I bought. I can do the hard ones, but I think there must be another logic step that I am missing to work harder puzzles.
I used to buy the Telegraph for the cryptic crossword and then I found the sudoku! I have spent the last four days tryng to solve the 5th puzzle in the experiment. I have got down to the last few numbers three times and each time find that I want to put a number in a row, column or square that already has it!! I have got a stiff neck from sitting hunched over, a headache from concentrating too long and the house is covered in the bits of rubber you get when rubbing out. My husband is complaining that it is even in the bed!
The housework has gone to pot, my kids are bored because I am neglecting them and the cat has left home in disgust (she can't curl up on my knee because the puzzle is there).
I am only 12 and am completely hooked my maths teacher showed me one on a trip and i won a prize for doing them! the whole trip i made my mate do them and i would often wake up at random times and start doing more!! I get up a 6am to do them!! I am so obsesed!!
Having been addicted for quite some time (and going to bed far too late each night) I copied yesterday's puzzle for my three children (10, 9 and 5) to do after lunch as it was gentle one. It kept them quiet for an hour and they were totally engrossed, but now I am being pestered 'when are we getting the paper mummy?'. I doubt we will be able to cope with four addicts in the house. Husband has just gone out for the paper to keep us all quiet!
My name is Simon and I'm a Sudoku addict.
Seriously, I have a Sudoku book in the living room, one in the bedroom and one in the toilet. I'm actually using it like an anti-depressant!
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