Customer Reviews

Fill-In Paint-doku (Conceptis Puzzles)

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

 

 

Bored with Sudoku? "Paint-doku" is a fun and challenging alternative. The rules are simple - the numbered boxes in a grid correspond to the number of adjacent boxes that will be shaded - but figuring out which of the adjacent boxes are shaded is a great logic exercise. Not only does it challenge your spatial conception, but it also requires you to weigh options. Conceptis is a great puzzle maker, and the puzzles in this book are very well researched. As you're working a puzzle, you may think you've hit a dead end, but you can be confident that it's because you've made an error or aren't seeing the intersecting clues, not that there aren't sufficient clues in the puzzle itself. This book has over 100 puzzles, and most took me 1-2 hours to complete. Fantastic for long plane flights. At the end of the day, this is really just a complex coloring book for adults - and what could be better than that? I enjoyed most of the puzzles over a very long business trip so much that I'm ordering a second book for my next trip!

About a year and a half ago, Conceptis released a book of griddlers (Hanjie, paint by numbers) entitled "Paint-Doku." Imagine my joy when they released this travel sized version! The only thing that concerned me was that this one was called "Fill In Paint-Doku." It should have concerned me more than it did, because...

WARNING: THESE ARE NOT HANJIE / GRIDDLER / NONOGRAM PUZZLES. They are what are better known at [...] as Fill-A-Pix puzzles in which you must determine which neighboring squares must be colored in. The game is sort of a pencil and paper minesweeper.

Feeling a bit unsure as to what to do, I thought "Oh well, give them a try, maybe you'll 'get it' and like this too." I'm glad the book doesn't cost any more than it does. I must be the world's biggest idiot, because after the initial phase of x'ing out zeros and shading in 9 squares, I just simply can't get much further along....at least not yet. I found them to be frustrating, annoying, ridiculously lengthy hard puzzles. Difficulty level is another beef of mine with the book; there is NO indication of which puzzles are "easy" and which are "hard", even though you are promised a variety of levels.

All that said, I can see where fans of Fill-A-Pix puzzles would rejoice. The book is great for taking with you in the car, and I can only pray they intend to release a similar travel size version of Hanjie puzzles sometime in the future.

This is my favorite type of puzzle hands down. I originally purchased the book because I enjoy the other type of "paint-doku" puzzles. (By the way, for those who enjoy the paint-doku, there's a great download available - do a search of "japanese mosaic puzzles" - I downloaded mine from divogames. It has black and white puzzles, and colored puzzles, plus you can make your own.)

Once I figured out how these new puzzles worked, I was addicted. My ONLY complaint is that there are no other puzzle books like it on the market. I'm having to erase old puzzles just so I can do them again because I've run out! PLEASE come out with another fill-in paint-doku!!!!

This is my absolute FAVORITE type of logic art puzzle. When I bought this book I thought I was purchasing the traditional logic art book and didn't like it. Once I got the hang of them I fell in love! Unfortunately there are no other books on the market like them. You can play online at Conceptis puzzles and print some from their website, but I would prefer another full book!

This book is great, I like it very much and would like to find more just like it.

I also thought that these puzzles would be like other "paint-doku" books I've had. What a pleasant surprise to find a different type of paint puzzle! I loved the sleek paper in the book and the spiral binding. The unique puzzles became very addicting once I got the hang of them.

At first I thought I would be disappointed because the puzzles seemed difficult. Then I trained my eye to recognize the 9-block grid, and began to learn the different standard blocks possible for each number. I selected a number in the puzzle and placed it mentally in the center of the 9-block. If it was a 0, I filled in all the 9-block square with X's. If a 9, then I penciled in all the 9-block. Next I looked for 8's along the edges of the areas I just worked with 0's and 9's. Were there any squares in the 9-block of a number 8 that had just one block with an X in it? If yes, then I could pencil in the rest of the block! (If there was more than one X...I had made a mistake somewhere.) If there you have a 7 in the center block of the 9, then 7 blocks will be penciled in. That means 2 blocks will be X'd out.

I recommend this book for true puzzle lovers.

I agree with the previous review. This book was not what I thought it was going to be. I am pretty good at logic puzzles and this was just too difficult to be any fun. I was stuck on the first three puzzles which should have been easy. And to at least get you warmed up for harder ones. I ended up skipping each one thinking the next one would be better. It was hard to even cheat by looking in the back.

What a disappointment and a waste of money. I will stick to the griddler type puzzles from now on.

I accidentally ordered this book & was soo happy that I did. These puzzles are now my favorite. The puzzles are kind of like the Minesweeper game. It is so much fun & I spent hours finishing this book. Hard but awesome. If you like the regular paint-doku, you will love this. The only disappointment is that this is the only book I could find of these puzzles. :( I am so addicted & want more.

I have done most of the O'ekaki books and enjoy them greatly. I know what to expect at each level ( like regular Sudoku) You know what tools you will need at each level of difficulty. This version of puzzles is more challenging. There are far more opportunities to err, and the time required for any one puzzle is significant. There are no indicators of difficulty so you can be duped into thinking you can actually finish a puzzle, when in fact you have a great deal of work to do to finish. If you are not good at chess, you probably won't like these puzzles. In almost all you hit a wall and then really have to pull out all the stops to find the one cell that can lead you to further solution.

I would only recommend this version to those that have a great deal of patience for checking and rechecking, a good set of reading glasses to see the small squares, and a good eraser. The paper is commodious to erasing and re-erasing--so that is a positive!

I was expecting something different. this puzzle seems to complicated to be fun. I thought there would be some color involved but it is black and white.