Customer Reviews

Akari & Sudoku

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm a Nikoli addict, I'll admit it. (See my other reviews of the Nikoli ____ & Sudoku books). I bought all of their US-released books, subscribe to their puzzle site, and have even had books shipped from Japan. What I like about these books in particular is the size and binding. These things matter to a puzzle addict. The spiral binding allows you to hold the book more easily, and the book is made with high-quality thick paper (not newsprint like many crossword books). That means you can solve in pen (if you dare!) and not have it show through to the other side, or you can erase without worrying about the paper abrading or ripping. These half-sudoku books are kind of a shame (we Americans have PLENTY of sudoku to choose from), and I wish it had more of the "new" puzzle type.

Akari is one of my favorite Nikoli puzzles. I like it because it's a little more unusual when it comes to number puzzles. Each number you see tells you how many lights are around it. When you place a light, it "lights up" every box it "sees" in north/south east/west directions. When you're finished, every box in the grid must be lit up. I love solving them on the website in particular because they automatically "light up" the rows and columns when you place the lights. When solving on paper, you need to be creative. Pull out a highlighter, or just draw lines out in all directions from your light to make sure you know what boxes you've got covered. Even though I prefer to do these puzzles online, I'll take any Akari I can get!