Absolutely Nasty Sudoku Level 3 (Mensa) [Spiral-bound]

Frank Longo (Author)

Book Description

Series: Mensa | Publication Date: March 1, 2007

The difficulty level soars, as even more tricks get added to the mix: X-Wing; Swordfish; XY-Wing; XYZ-Wing; and the Gordonian Rectangle.

Product Details

• Spiral-bound: 160 pages
• Publisher: Puzzlewright (March 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 140274398X
• ISBN-13: 978-1402743986
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,560 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Sudoku
  • #5 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Puzzles
  • #6 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Sudoku

More About the Author

Frank Longo is a freelance puzzle creator whose books have sold more than two million copies. His sudoku books include Hip Pocket Sudoku.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nasty Mensa, April 23, 2008

By 

June Kurtz - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Absolutely Nasty Sudoku Level 3 (Mensa) (Spiral-bound)

Mensa Absolutely Nasty Sudoku Level 3 (Mensa)

I like to think of myself as a sudoku whiz and this book has me humbled. It's difficult but not impossible. It's a matter of patience and logic that will win the day against these absolutely nasty puzzles.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Difficult but..., October 18, 2007

By 

Dr. Ant. (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Absolutely Nasty Sudoku Level 3 (Mensa) (Spiral-bound)

I finally found some really difficult sudoku - they take time! But from the write-up I was expecting to get some explanations on how to solve using the more complicated techniques. It would also be nice if the answers included reference to which of the more difficult techniques were used to solve them.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great series - Review with techniques, November 12, 2010

By 

Gary Bisaga "Christian Father and Husband" (Leesburg, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Absolutely Nasty Sudoku Level 3 (Mensa) (Spiral-bound)

This is an excellent book, with lots of difficult puzzles. One really nice thing about this series as a whole is that it provides you a clear path of improvement. If you are using the Mensa Guide to Solving Sudoku: Hundreds of Puzzles Plus Techniques to Help You Crack Them All or
Mastering Sudoku Week by Week: 52 Steps to Becoming a Sudoku Wizard (which is actually my favorite), this is a great series to have alongside.

One problem I have with most Sudoku reviews is that they are not specific about what techniques are and are not required, so I will attempt to list here all the ones I've found required in the book and in fact the whole series. Book 1 in the series started relatively easy - about as hard as a typical "hard" puzzle in other books, requiring no more than assiduous application of basic Sudoku techniques (which includes pairs, triples, and quads). Book 2 starts basically the way book 1 left off, but about halfway through adds a number of more advanced techniques.

Book 3 (this book) picks up right where book 2 left off, with an X-wing and XY-wing in the first two puzzles. Needless to say that it's starting off quite well! I will update this review as I get farther through the book.

You will need to know the following types of techniques:

* Elementary techniques (cross-hatching, single cell, single candidate)
* Locked candidate elimination
* Naked pairs, triples, and quads
* X-wings: LOTS of them, some puzzles requiring two different X-wing patterns
* Non-unique (or "Gordonian") rectangles, including some that are beyond the simple ones (see one of the two books above for more explanation)
* XY-wings and XYZ-wings

EDITED: I'm now just past 50 puzzles in the book, and these puzzles included my first legitimate jellyfish (order 4 fishy pattern) and several that require multiple X-wings and non-unique rectangles. Round about puzzle 50, they start requiring multiple advanced techniques per puzzle.

The book is spiral bound, which is very nice. I really like having the cover continue over the binding. Although it would be slightly easier to have it lay flat without the cover there, the space makes a perfect place to store your pencil when you are required to do non-Sudoku activities. Some might dislike the concept of paying for Sudoku books at all - countering that puzzles are available online for free - but I think there's great benefit in having a book you can take with you.

Overall, a great series of books. Start by buying the one that applies to you and get going improving your Sudoku!