Classic Sudoku
Superb version of the Japanese game that strengthens the mind
Classic Sudoku is a casual puzzle game, based on the highly popular numerical Japanese puzzle. Sudoku was introduced to the West in around 1979, having been a purely Japanese phenomenon until that time. The puzzle game quickly grew in popularity, joining the crossword and other word games in the pages of daily newspapers and from there into computer software.
The premise of the game is very simple, and yet exceedingly challenging to perform fully. The player is given a grid in which there are nine blocks of nine squares each. The numbers from one to nine must be arranged in each column and row, without any exclusions and without any numbers being repeated. To make matters more challenging, each block of nine squares must also contain the numbers from one to nine also.
Games can be set to certain levels of difficulty, from beginner to expert. The main difference, with the grids and the rules always remaining the same, lies with the starting clues that are given. With easy puzzles, the player is given enough clues to quickly fill in two or three numbers in every square, and from there work out the positions of the other numbers. With expert puzzles, the player is given few clues and has to work out the relative probability of which number goes in which square, sometimes working five or six squares out simultaneously to be sure of finding the right position for each number.
Strategically switching between placing numbers in the rows and columns and placing numbers in the nine-block is a good way to work out the exact placement of numbers when one has two or more numbers that could fit a space equally well.
The computerised version of Sudoku generally allows the player to make three errors in placement before the game is lost, and each different layout is guaranteed to be different as the computer can generate games on demand, rather than having a certain number of shuffles pre-programmed into it.
Pros
- Quick and simple puzzle/ logic game
- Ideal for quick play during a lunch break
- Simple fresh layout
Cons
- None known