Original Sudoku

Product Review

Over twenty-five years ago, Nikoli, a Japanese puzzle and game company, started publishing a curious logic puzzle called Sudoku. The result was magical and in recent years, Sudoku has spread from Japan to other countries. These newer puzzles, however, are often computer-generated and lack the simple beauty of handmade puzzles. Nikoli continues to nurture and develop Sudoku with handmade puzzles that contain the vital ingredient that make puzzles enjoyable—the sense of communication between solver and author. The best Sudoku make you concentrate, but aren’t stressful.

Arranged from "Easy" to "Very Hard," here are over 300 logic puzzles that celebrate the compulsive joy of Sudoku with symmetry, smartness, and elegance. Absorbing and engaging, every puzzle is designed by an author who anticipates your next step and obscures the path, while never leading you into frustration. Each puzzle carries the careful thought of a master who knows when to encourage and when to withhold, who shares the joy of that moment when one hard-won number is captured and the entire puzzle falls into place.

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review

(11 customer reviews)

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

Unusually Challenging... I hope you have time on your hands., November 18, 2005

Amy - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Original Sudoku (Paperback)

This Sudoku book is unique in that the publisher boasts that all 300 puzzles are created by an actual person. There is an introduction that, in addition to giving the rules and strategy hints, explains why these "handmade" puzzles are unique and supposedly more interesting to solve. I think it just makes them harder! Typically a computer generated "easy" takes me five minutes or so, these "easy" puzzles *really* stumped me. As in it over an hour to solve the first one. Its a good sized book, small enough to carry around but large enough to pencil in guesses. Nice heavy paper stands up to the inevitable erasing!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

What difference! The best sukoku I've seen., January 4, 2007

Tom B "handydandy" (Westport, CT USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Original Sudoku (Paperback)

Most sudoku puzzles are punched out by computer programs. They can be entertaining, but the actual playing by human beings has not been factored in. It gets frustrating to start an "easy" puzzle, only to be completely stymied by how difficult it actually is.

Not so here. You're given the same amount of starting numbers as the computerized puzzles, with a big difference: Someone actually sat down and looked at how they'd play.

The result is that the "easy" puzzles are REALLY easy, ditto the medium and hard. For anyone starting out with this addictive pastime, you won't do better than this book. After reading the three simple techniques of how to solve sudoku given in the introduction you're ready to plunge in. The first few puzzles will tease your brain, but won't fry it. They are in fact easy, and will give you rapid gratification. Then you're hooked, and you'll want more.

This book is very different from most other sudoku collections. You'll...Read more

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

My Favorite Sudoku Publisher, November 12, 2006

Dawn W "Dawn Westerberg Consulting" (Lakeway, TX USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Original Sudoku (Paperback)

The Nikoli Publishing puzzles are both fun to complete and well-sized. The puzzle grids are a little over 3 inches by 3 inches. I like this size because it's small enough to see patterns emerging (look at the puzzle as a whole) yet large enough to pencil in multiple numbers that might reside in a single square.

I agree with another reviewer who commented that sometimes the designations don't seem to jive -- I've found some of the "very hard" puzzles easier to complete that some of the "medium" puzzles. But the puzzles are fun and engaging.

I like this publisher better than Sudoku puzzle books edited by Will Shortz (the puzzle grids are just too big) and the Master Sudoku books by Carol Vorderman. I'd rank Nikoli one, Vorderman two and Shortz 3. However, I think Vorderman give the best "How to Solve" directions and would point beginners to her books.