Customer Reviews

The Big Book of Su Doku #1 (Sudoku)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I had heard about Sudoku previously, but never attempted to do any of the puzzles. Until I saw this book. I picked it up and started working on it with the mind's eye, and realized it was interesting so I bought it. The book starts with mini-Sudoku's - 4 by 4 grids that only are numbered 1-4 (4 sub-grids in all, 16 total numbers). Then goes to a 6 by 6 grid (6 sub-grids numbers from 1-6) and then the more typical 9 by 9 grid.

I found the exercises in the mini-Sudoku's useful in getting used to these puzzles. And I appreciated that these were included in the book. Diving into a 9x9 grid may have been too much to start, and made it less fun. The mini-Sudoku's are also great for younger kids, especially in using it to teach them how to use logic.

I think I'm hooked!

The paper on this book is like newspaper. I kept tearing thru. It was so bad I had to scan them and print them out on printer paper

The puzzles were good.

I bought 6-8 books and this had the thinnest paper by far.
They need to do it in a better format, with thicker paper.

Did I mention the paper is to thin?

This is a great book for both beginners and experts since it overs a wide variety of puzzles.. There are hundreds and they get increasingly harder.. The book is a nice size so easy to bring along. I often stick it along and take it to work everyday as it's the perfect thing to do on a long train ride.

The explanatory section at the start is not adequate for a beginning solver of Sudoku. More beginning examples were needed.

More beginning 4 by 4 and 6 by 6 puzzles are needed, for the beginning solver.

The spine of this book cracked within 2 days of usage; this book was cheaply made.

The paper is cheap; numbers from puzzles on the next page can be seen through the paper; very distracting for a solver.

The tricky puzzles (level 3) are arguably just as hard as the challenging puzzles (level 5) ; the computer program and/or Mr. Huckvale did a poor job of ranking these puzzles.

This book, in short, seems like a borderline hack-job, designed to cash in on the Sudoku craze.

I was hoping this book would go in depth on sudoku logic, but it does not; however, there is a short section on how to play, with the thought of getting beginners going.

The puzzles in this book are very easy in my opinion. I don't think there is much of a difference between the "Easy" puzzles and the "challenging" puzzles, most can be solved in about 5 minutes or less. The only puzzles that usually take longer than 5 minutes are the "Super" sudokus, which are just as easy, sometimes easier, but much longer (mainly because the whole grid is 16x16 (with 4x4 subsets)).

Overall, the book is probably quite good for a beginner, but if you are an expert and looking for a good challenge, I would not recommend this book.

I have been doing Sudoku puzzles for years, long before I even knew what they were called and way before they became a national craze! There were usually one or two puzzles in a magazine of variety games. I couldn't get enough, so I was happy to find a book of just Sudoku puzzles! Turns out this book is not just for me, but also for my 8-year old son and my husband who are just beginners! There are puzzles in this book for every skill level and instructions for the beginner. This book is a great introduction to Sudoku!

This book is very good for beginners. It begins with small puzzles. My [...] son enjoys completing the 4x4 and 6x6 puzzles. The puzzles become larger and more complicated as the book continues. Don't be intimidated by the 16x16 puzzles...they are much easier than they look.

First of all, I disagree with the reviewer that said the explanations for the beginning Sudoku'er aren't adequate...I never did sudoku before these books. Yes, the instructions require reading a couple times, but, in my opinion, no one does Sudoku better than Huckvale. He includes variety and appropriate increases in difficulty through each book. Each book gets progressively more difficult, so if you're new to sudoku, don't start with book 2 or 3. You'll only get frustrated.

Mark Huckvale is a genius with sudoku. It isn't just a book of one kind of puzzle. It's a LOT of different puzzles. Just when you think you could stand a change, turn the page and try your pencil at equally fun and challenging puzzles. Depending on your level of achievement, I wish he'd make more volumes, but that's not really a problem. I've done the 3rd book three times and will buy it again. You don't remember the answers! TRY IT, YOU'LL LIKE IT! Oh, I personally like the bigger books. The smaller ones are a bit small if you like to fill the blocks with numbers that could be in that block.

Sudoku is Sudoku so this is a review about my experience doing the puzzles in this book.

I ordered 3 books, USA Today Every Sudoku: 200 pages..., Sudoku for Dummies, and this book: Big Book of Sudoku#1.

It was obvious from the first time I started filling in the pages that the Big Book was produced with the cheapest quality paper. Not only were the pages thinner, the paper was off white so if you're using a mechanical pencil, the point will go THROUGH the paper! Also, because the paper quality is so poor, it will be harder to see the pencil marks. (Pages are grainy, not flat & smooth) The pages are also difficult to erase as part of the paper is removed with every swipe.

I had none of these problems with the Dummies book or the USA Today book. These books had THICK very bright white pages and my mechanical pencil did not tear through the other side of the paper. Once marks were made, it was easy to see and erase.

Therefore, before you buy a Sudoku book, I recommend you read the reviews to see the quality of the paper they are using to produce the book. (Are the pages bright, thick, and smooth?)

I wish I had.

I got all three volumes. They are great. It starts you out slow and gets you to the harder stuff. I loved all three. If your not sure how it is done these books walk you through it. I got myself a set and a friend who thought she wouldn't be able to learn. Now she's hooked. They're great.