Customer Reviews

Golden Spike Deluxe Wooden Sudoku Board Game - A Sudoku Game Board Masterpiece

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

 

 

There are several Sudoku players in my family. I thought it would be nice to get a Sudoku game board for the vacation house on the Chesapeake Bay for those in-between hours of the day. Having a game board would get rid of the clutter caused by paper sheets in past years. I looked at a few others but chose the Elverson Puzzle board even though it was a bit more expensive. This board is beautiful-it's a permanent fixture on the coffee table. The game pieces come in containers which keeps everything neat and tidy. What's especially handy is that this board has cribbage-like pegs which mark numbers already tried. Using the spikes (pegs) makes it easier to leave a game in progress and come back to it later. I also ordered the E-Z grip bands (on Elverson Puzzle website for $1). The bands keeps the game pieces from moving when the table is jostled. The Elverson Puzzle sudoku board has been such a favorite for us that I'm planning on getting another.

I couldn't be more please with the overall quality, appearance and function of this product for the price paid. The "gold Spike Tracking" is brilliant and the only one out there that has it. No need to be dealing with pencil and paper. It definately makes playing Suduko even more pleasurable. We have enjoyed giving all the Elverson Puzzles as gifts but this one is the most impressive yet!

Thanks,
The Arbaugh's
Pennsylvania

I bought the Gold Spike Sudoku Puzlle from Elverson. The game arrived before I expected it to and is of very high quality. Clearly this seller takes pride in his product - a real treat. The wood is a delight to touch, and the famous Gold Spikes are a pleasure to use. Sudoku is fun and this board makes it more fun. If there were 6 stars, I'd give it that!

I bought this game for my husband for Valentine's and he loves it.

The gold spike system for keeping track of your potential numbers is very clever. There are nine holes in each space that you can use to mark with a nail your possiblities. Because all the numbers take the same spot (i.e. the first hole is a one, the second two, the third three, etc.) it's easy to see at a glance what numbers are available and where the patterns are.

The game comes with a book that has Sudoku puzzles of different levels and also strategies on how to narrow down possible numbers. When you can see the patterns quickly and easily it makes the game that much more fun. I think the spike system makes this the best Sudoku game on the market.

The seller, Elversen Puzzle, was excellent. They kept me informed on the delivery and the packaging was superb.

My husband, myself and our kids are having a great time with this game.

I got this for my wife and she really enjoys it. She would rather have had a unit that has a recessed area for each game piece, other than that it's awesome.

This board came today, it is very nice and has the best and most elegant solution to the issue of placeholders for number possibilities. The gold spikes are a great idea. Just stick one more in on a tiny grid and you know what numbers you are considering at a glance --- no scribbling on paper on the side.. no searching for tiny tiles.

What a great idea! it sold me and now that I have the board, I think my instincts were right on! Get this. You will not be disappointed.

The board itself is very nice. Heavy and attractive.

I am very glad I called Everston and added an order of elastic bands for the pieces!. The company was completely responsive and just added the elastics on to my Amazon order. The board shipped so fast, I had this board as quickly as if it had been sent via Prime. Great product, fabulous customer service.

I find that with elastic bands on, the pieces are very tough to jostle. I have 2 young sons and so that matters! Indeed I may call the company and ask them for an extra set of pieces altogether so I don't have to sweat the fact that my kids find them facinating :)

Great board! Great company! I really feel like I got my money's worth.

I have recently delved deeply into Sudoku (even looked up how to pronounce it Japanese style: suuu-doe-KU!) And so it seems the more you get involved the more issues there are to deal with...
My first board was the Rubix version, no longer made but still available. It is color coded, although if you order another set, you will be surprised--all are different, as though the factory just randomly picked colors for the different numbers. A bit weird, since now I automatically think of '5' as 'red', and so on. It is very compact and easy to use, plus is has a cover which has come in very handy; I can even take it places in my purse and play on public transit.
Then we come to the issue of 'place holders'. Rubix has six little thingys of each color, but they are slippery little devils if you are REALLY tracking seriously--ultimately are more trouble than they are worth .
I decided to ramp up my game, so that's what lead me to Gold Spike. I loved the concept.
Now the good news: everybody is right--the product, the service are all great, although we're not talking museum quality here, just a carefully engineered wood-like surface with neat painting and grid of tiny holes. It takes time, patience and a bit of hand strength to get all 81 pieces arranged in their rubber bands. The spikes are heavy weight and easy to handle.
The bad news--and I hate to say this because I think the personalized service is WAY above standard and I encourage folks to give this company their business--and if you are a Capital 'S' Serious Sudoku Player, you will simply incorporate this into your own playing.
If, however, you are a neophyte, you may find yourself overwhelmed by the intensity of paying attention to every spike you have placed. The booklet of games that comes with it says 'easy' on the first page. Personally, I don't think that is accurate: I would start out with a MUCH easier puzzle (find one somewhere else) and get used to the concept. Remember you are looking for patterns not only in the numbers, but in the twins, triples and quartets, hidden and otherwise, and once you have cleared what you THINK are duplicate pins, you very well might discover a mistake. At that point, unless you are experienced, you won't be able to backtrack and figure out where to replace the pins; you'll have to scan through everything again, replacing the pins you mistakenly took out.
For me, the jury is still out on this. I think potentially, it is so dependent on precision that some folks may get too frustrated and skip the pins. Again, if you are seriously thinking through your moves, the pins are a great tool.
Meanwhile, I got yet another Sudoku board, this one with a drawer for the pieces. Between the color-coding, the pins and the pre-placed paper puzzle on the latest model, I believe I may be confusing my new neural pathways. We'll see. I've already decided to take all the wooden pieces from Golden Spike and color-code them myself.

Soduku is fun but this particular board is difficult to put in trial numbers while you're thinking. the pieces slide around if the board is bumped.

The Deluxe Wooden Sudoku Board game was all that we expected and more. It's quality guarantees years of enjoyment.

I bought the deluxe wooden sudoku board for my husband for his November birthday and he does enjoy it daily. It is well made and the board is a convenient method of playing the game. The only part of it that he does not bother using is the pegs.. he feels that they are superfluous. Other than that he does get great enjoyment using this product