The Original Sudoku Book 2

Book Description

“The Best Puzzles Are Made by Happy Employees.” So Ad Age describes the credo of Nikoli, the Japanese puzzle company that invented the Sudoku craze and supplies 100% of the puzzles published in Japanese newspapers and magazines. And when they say “made,” they mean literally handmade—unlike the computer-generated puzzles found in other American Sudoku products.

And that’s one of the features that makes THE ORIGINAL SUDOKU BOOK 2— and THE ORIGINAL SUDOKU, published between seasons and already with 115,000 copies in print—unique. The books celebrate the compulsive joy of Sudoku with symmetry, smartness, and elegance. They invite you to match wits with the experts, to step into the 81-cell arena with a puzzle maker who has fiendishly anticipated your next step. Fun without frustration.

Other features? More all-new puzzles—over 300, arranged from “Easy” to “Very Hard.” The same chunky, easy-to-tote format, because once addicted you will be toting it around everywhere. An informative introduction that shows you how to approach and solve the puzzles. Plus an entirely new idea—an unprecedented tutorial on how to create your very own handmade Sudoku puzzles.

The obsession continues.

Customer Reviews:

A nice portable little book of puzzles.......2006-06-28

This is a nice little book. The small size means you can carry it easily with you for a diversion while awaiting a bus, an appointment or friends. It's a little difficult to physically manage because of this fact, however, and the squares are small, so it's difficult if you like to write in the possible solutions for the individual squares as I do. The puzzles are graded into "easy," "medium," "hard," and "very hard," and these assessments are accurate. You can solve any of them with the usual methods you employ for them but will find that the greater the level of difficulty the greater amount of time it'll take to solve them. I find that I tend to select a puzzle level based on how I'm feeling rather than strictly on what level I think I can do. If I'm not feeling like a major challenge, I tend to do easy puzzles. It gives me a sense of satisfaction without frustrating me when I may already be stressed out enough. I choose more challenging puzzles when I'm feeling more up to the demands, but then for me the point of doing these puzzles is to enjoy the experience, not to "prove" anything to anyone.

Worthless Purchase.......2006-03-05

I only give this a 1 because I can't choose a zero.

Whomever wrote the puzzles for this book obviously doesn't know the rules of sudoku:

No number can appear twice within a column, row, or 9-box sub-section (nor located in the same box within the 9-box sub-section). I'm a sudoku fanatic, so I'm very versed in the rules. When I sat down and started working the puzzles, I found myself running up against instances on every puzzle where the same number would have to appear in the upper left hand box of each sub-section twice within the same puzzle (which is a BIG no-no). When this happened 10 times in a row, I went back to the answer page and discovered all of the puzzles had this defect.

DO NOT PURCHASE THIS BOOK!!

great puzzles, but the small size can be cumbersome.......2005-12-21

The puzzles are top notch and you get 320 for your money, a very good deal. As the book is so thick, the page size is a bit small, making the left hand puzzles at the beginning of the book (and vice versa for the right hand pages at the back of the book) difficult to keep flat. The paper is tough enough to withstand multiple erasings and there is only minimal bleed through from puzzles on reverse page faces. It is up to you to decide whether or not these "hand-made" puzzles are better than computer generated. I have never played a computer generated puzzle, so I can't comment.

Average customer rating:

Sudoku addiction

More Original Sudoku

Manufacturer: Workman Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0761143971

Book Description

Over twenty years ago Nikoli, the Japanese puzzle and game company, started publishing a curious logic puzzle called Sudoku. The rest of the world recently joined the Sudoku craze by using computer programs to create puzzles, but Nikoli is the only company that still crafts their puzzles the old-fashioned way: by hand. As Ad Age wrote in a profile, the Nikoli credo is “The Best Puzzles Are Made by Happy Employees.” And for solvers, it really does make a difference—there’s an elegance and symmetry to the puzzles, plus a sense of interaction. The puzzle-maker knows just when to encourage, and when to withhold. Puzzles marked “Easy,” are easy because the puzzler leads you through. Those marked “Very Hard” are exactly that—they pit your mind against the mind of the master, who seems to share the joy of that moment when one hard-won number is captured, and the entire puzzle tumbles into place.

An obsessive’s collection, More Original Sudoku features over 300 puzzles, all in a chunky, easy-to-carry format (it even fits into a standard jeans-size back pocket). An introduction shows how to solve the puzzles at various levels of difficulty, and it includes a tutorial on how to create your own hand-made Sudoku.

Here’s wishing you Gokouun o inorimasu! (Good luck!)

Customer Reviews:

Sudoku addiction.......2006-09-13

This IS the perfect sized Sudoku book to have with you on the airplane or in the doctor's waiting room to help pass the time.

Average customer rating:

What difference! The best sukoku I've seen.
My Favorite Sudoku Publisher
I Guess it Depends...
Addictive!
Misleading

Original Sudoku
Nikoli Publishing
Manufacturer: Workman Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0761142150

Book Description

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:

What difference! The best sukoku I've seen........2007-01-05

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 find fun, not frustration here. Highly recommended.

My Favorite Sudoku Publisher.......2006-11-13

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.

I Guess it Depends..........2006-10-31

This book boasts of the transcendent qualities of its "hand crafted" puzzles, even providing an example of an inferior computer-generated puzzle to exemplify the difference. The editor predicts, "You will soon discover that making a start is difficult. There are no cells in which to place a number using straightforward techniques." I solved the puzzle pretty straightforwardly, and found it no less satisfying and not especially more difficult than many other sudoku I have tackled.

But I suppose it depends upon the style with which you approach the puzzles. The book provides some strategies which are pretty primitive as compared with methods I have learned from other sources. I have no doubt some would describe these as more "pure" techniques in that they seem to suggest one examine the puzzle until he can fill in each cell definitively without jotting down any intermediate notations of the possible contents of a cell -- a little like doing crossword puzzles in ink. I solved a few of the "Easy" and "Medium" puzzles in this style and found them to be fairly challenging.

When I use the more powerful tactics which I tend to prefer, however, even the "Very Hard" puzzles are a cake-walk. As another reviewer noted, there really seems to be little, if any, difference in difficulty among the classifications ranging from "Easy" to "Very Hard". For seriously challenging puzzles I am going to have to look to other sources. Or perhaps I will graduate one day to the joys of "pure" sudoku, and toss out my supply of mechanical pencils and high quality erasers.

Addictive!.......2006-08-23

Containing 300 handcrafted puzzles, this is a good book to advance your skills. The size is nice--smaller than a mass market paperback, the pages nevertheless stand up to a fair amount of erasing and are easily ripped out. The tips in the front are good for a beginner, as I was when I bought it. I'm relieved that many reviewers find the puzzles difficult, because I find even the "easy" ones hard sometimes. It doesn't surprise me a bit that most puzzles today are computer generated, but these are pleasingly symetrical. Be prepared to get hooked!

Misleading.......2006-04-16

One of the respiratory therapists wandered through the recovery room during a quiet night and found me working one of these puzzles. "Not you too," he moaned. He told me all of his friends were "hooked on" the puzzles. I have to admit it, they are habit forming, but the habit arises from the tension of every day living. Who's life isn't complicated to absurdity sometimes. I work these puzzles for the same reason I worked an entire book of advanced algebra the year my mother died. It allowed me to focus on something that so fully demanded my intellectual attention that my emotions were allowed to rest for a while. It's not easy to achieve that inner peace one needs desparately sometimes. Some do it through meditation, some by physical exercise, some by a walk in the woods. I do it with sudoku-and occasionally algebra problems-sort of an emotional vacation. Sometimes I even play meditation music in the background.

That said, I'll say that this is a lovely book of puzzles. For one thing, most of them are "pretty" as well as challenging, arranged in pinwheels, zigzags, and other symmetrical shapes. The one caveat is that though they are arranged as "easy," "medium," "hard," and "very hard," in fact they are all pretty much of the same level of difficulty throughout. In fact I found some of the very hard puzzles easier to complete than some of the so-called easy ones. Generally level of difficulty is determined by the number of squares filled in for the puzzle worker. Most if not all of these had 24 of 81 squares completed, roughly a quarter. Sometimes there were very few repeated numbers and when there were, the same cross number or other numbers were not available to eliminate all but the one square to complete a triad of one number in a column or row of blocks. This was the only factor that seemed to determine whether a puzzle was actually easy or not, but this feature seemed randomly distributed through all the levels of difficulty.

I would suggest that this book is probably a wonderful selection of puzzles for the average to skilled player-a master would probably not find any of them challenging-because they are often unexpectedly difficult. A beginner might find them too frustrating to continue on with the book. It's demoralizing to find one can't even begin to do an "easy" puzzle. For the beginner, I'd look for a book where the easy puzzles give you from 28 to 30 or more of the numbers.

The Original Sudoku Calendar 2007 (Page a Day Calendar)

Average customer rating:

Hours of frustrating fun!

The Original Sudoku Calendar 2007 (Page a Day Calendar)
Workman Publishing Company
Manufacturer: Workman Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Calendar

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ASIN: 0761141944

Book Description

“The new international craze,” according to Will Shortz of the New York Times, of Sudoku is off and running in the United States. Papers from the New York Post to the Los Angeles Times to USA Today carry the puzzles, and Sudoku books have become fixtures on bestseller lists. And returning for 2007 is THE ORIGINAL SUDOKU CALENDAR with 365 all-new puzzles. Created by Nikoli, the Japanese publisher that started Sudoku mania (and in Japan, the only company allowed to use the Sudoku name), these handmade—not computer-generated—puzzles are the real McCoy. They begin easy on Sunday and grow more difficult over the course of the week. Always, they strike the perfect balance of challenge and pleasure.

Customer Reviews:

Hours of frustrating fun!.......2007-01-16

If you are a Sudoku nut then this calendar is for you. HOWEVER, don't expect to limit yourself to one a day!

Original Sudoku for Kids: With Complete Instructions, Hints, 100 Puzzles, and Solutions for the World's Most Popular Puzzle!

Average customer rating:

Highly recommended
Bought as Gift
Brain Stretching Activity
From the Board Games Editor at BellaOnline.com

Original Sudoku for Kids: With Complete Instructions, Hints, 100 Puzzles, and Solutions for the World's Most Popular Puzzle!
Puzzler Media
Manufacturer: Thunder's Mouth Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1560258764

Book Description

Sudoku is a white-hot puzzle phenomenon, sweeping the country coast to coast. Puzzles are popping up in USA Today, the N.Y. Daily News, and a dozen other newspapers. It has been hailed variously as the new Rubik's Cube and the new crossword puzzle: it's that big. But are all sudoku puzzles the same? No way. Only Thunder's Mouth Press has its sudokus DIRECT from the hands of the Japanese craftsmen who devised this mindtwister. Accept no substitutes! Go to the source!

Children have seen how popular the puzzles are and now there is Original Sudoku for Kids, specially created for those who want to take part but lack the skills for full-blown, adult Sudoku. Children ages 8 and up will enjoy tackling the 100 puzzles that are included and there is an extensive how-to section that explains in great detail exactly how to solve Sudoku.

Customer Reviews:

Highly recommended.......2007-08-17

This is a good book on Sudoku for kids. The book includes 100 puzzles. All the puzzles are 9x9. The solutions are at the end of the book. There are no categories or levels of difficulty for the puzzles.

The first 7 pages of the book are dedicated to strategy with tips, rules, and hints. One drawback is that this book does not include simple 4x4 puzzles like the two books "Kindergarten Sudoku" and "Kids' Sudoku for Dummies".

Bought as Gift.......2007-01-04

It seems unfair to have to rate this book with a star since I bought this as a gift for my 6 year old grandsons who are reading at 3rd grade level but it is too hard for them. They have put it away for later. Need to work on more math skills first :-)

No fault of the book because I'm not sure what age group it was for. Just a Grandmother error I suppose. But it doesn't seem age appropriate for 6 year olds unless they're math wizzards.

Brain Stretching Activity.......2005-12-19

I use these puzzles with elementary students in my classes. My gifted students ages 6 and up love them! Other students 7 and up also enjoy doing them once they get the hang of it--even the parents have asked for their own copies to work!

From the Board Games Editor at BellaOnline.com.......2005-12-13

This is really just a collection of very easy sudoku puzzles; it's not ONLY for kids, beginning puzzlers might like it as well. The instructions given are clear-cut and easy to understand, and the puzzles are nicely made, though very easy.

It's also a reasonable price for 100 puzzles. This book would make a great stocking stuffer, and will allow your kids to see what all the fuss is about while brushing up on their logic skills.

The recommended age here is 9 and up, but I think many clever 7 and 8-year-olds will be able to enjoy these puzzles as well.

The Original Kakuro Book: The Latest Puzzle Craze Since Sudoku

Average customer rating:

Refund please
Mostly OK kakuro book (easy puzzles) but with errors
kakuro

The Original Kakuro Book: The Latest Puzzle Craze Since Sudoku
The Puzzle Society
Manufacturer: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0740761277

Book Description

The Original Kakuro Book is a collection of 100 of these highly addictive puzzles created by the editors at The Puzzle Society™. Kakuro is a cross between traditional crosswords and Sudoku. The idea behind Kakuro is very simple. Just like Sudoku, you must fit the numbers 1 to 9 into a grid of squares so that no number is repeated within a defined area. And just like a crossword, there's a grid of filled blocks and clues to solve.

Kakuro puzzles are best solved using logic. Some of the same logic can be used as in Sudoku, but you also need a bit of math because with Kakuro there is a second restraint: not only must the numbers not repeat within a clue run, they also must add up to given totals-these totals replace traditional word clues found in a crossword.

Complete, easy-to-follow instructions are included as well as handy tips. This book also features tables of number combinations for quick reference. Solutions for all puzzles will be included at the back of the book.

Get in front of the latest puzzle phenomenon with The Original Kakuro Book.

Customer Reviews:

Refund please.......2007-03-12

Many puzzles are incomplete or, worse yet, offer more than one possible solution. Priced too high by $9.94

Mostly OK kakuro book (easy puzzles) but with errors.......2007-01-13

Beware! A few of the puzzles in this book are blatantly in error; for example there are number clues that make no sense given the rules of kakuro (like number clues along the bottom row or right-most column, or a single box with the clue sum "43"). And in addition, about 5% or 10% of the puzzles are ambiguous, that is, they have multiple solutions. That's kind of missing the point of a puzzle like this; the player is supposed to find the single solution.

It looks like the puzzles were generated by a computer program that had bugs in it, and that there was a lack of quality-control used to select puzzles for the book.

Apart from that...the remaining 90% or so of the puzzles in this book are OK. They're on the relatively easy side. But you're not really getting the 200 puzzles the blurb on the cover claims. I'd suggest a different book with higher-quality puzzles (with single, unambiguous solutions).

kakuro.......2007-01-03

This is one of the best puzzle books I have ever bought. Thank You!

Average customer rating:

From the Board Games Editor at BellaOnline.com

Sudoku: The Original
Puzzler Media
Manufacturer: Thunder's Mouth Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1560258438

Book Description

Su Doku has taken the population by storm. Every daily newspaper wants a piece of the action and there are examples of these aggravatingly addictive puzzles everywhere. But are they all the same? Is one Su Doku just like any other? Of course not. The majority of Su Doku out there have been casually knocked up in seconds with a simple computer program. Original Su Doku, however, is a magnificent tome, full of original hand-created Su Doku puzzles from the puzzle’s Japanese creators, Puzzler Media. This is the real deal!

Customer Reviews:

From the Board Games Editor at BellaOnline.com.......2005-12-06

Another great sudoku book. This one is by the originators of the puzzle; sudoku fans will appreciate the hand-made quality of each puzzle - they really do play out differently than machine-generated ones. A great gift!

The Little Book of Bathroom Kakuro: 200 Original Cross-Sums Puzzles for Brain-Sharpening Entertainment (Little Bathroom Book)

Average customer rating:

The Little Book of Bathroom Kakuro: 200 Original Cross-Sums Puzzles for Brain-Sharpening Entertainment (Little Bathroom Book)
Terry Stickels
Manufacturer: Fair Winds Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1592332447

Book Description

Kakuro is the latest puzzle craze to sweep the nation. Also called "cross-sums", it is similar to sudoku in that it involves placing numbers in a grid in a specific pattern. And, it is similar to crossword puzzles in that it offers clues. This book, written by puzzle master Terry Stickels, features 200 original puzzles in five difficulty levels. It's the perfect introduction to this exciting new puzzle!

More Original Sudoku for Kids: 100 More of the World's Most Popular Puzzle!

Average customer rating:

More Original Sudoku for Kids: 100 More of the World's Most Popular Puzzle!
Puzzler Media
Manufacturer: Thunder's Mouth Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1560258772

Book Description

Children can't get enough of Sudoku and here is another 100 great puzzles specially designed for kids who have been captivated by this devilishly simple number placement puzzle.

More Sudoku for Kids provides a generous second helping for kids who want to solve puzzles but lack the skills for full-blown, adult Sudoku. Children ages 8 and up will enjoy tackling the 100 puzzles that are included and there is a how-to section that explains how best to solve Sudoku!

The Manga Guide To Double Sudoku: The Original Double Sudoku Book!

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The Manga Guide To Double Sudoku: The Original Double Sudoku Book!
Jay Morrison , and Atsuhisa Okura
Manufacturer: Japanime Co. Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Higher Sudoku: New Challenging Variations from Japan

ASIN: 4921205159

Book Description

The Sudoku craze is about to get twice as wild with the introduction of The Manga Guide to Double Sudoku, the first book of its kind to feature an all-new variant of the popular puzzles. A fun and informative manga at the front of the book shows readers how the puzzles are solved, while the remaining pages are packed with 100 Double Sudoku puzzles and their solutions. Featuring English-language text by Jay Morrison, a Tokyo writer and Sudoku master, and illustrations by award-winning artist Atsuhisa Okura, past recipient of the Best New Artist award from both Kodansha and Shueisha.

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