1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent book for first-timers, February 7, 2009
This review is from: Peanuts Sudoku Comic Digest: 200 Puzzles Plus 50 Classic Peanuts Cartoons (Paperback)
My cousin, who is not a puzzle fan at all, began to take some interest in Sudoku, so I decided to get her her first Sudoku book, and this is what I went with. After seeing her reaction, and after solving a couple of them myself to see the difficulty, I believe I made the best choice possible.
First, the presentation is impeccable. The puzzles are big and very readable, the paper is high quality so pencil marks erase easily (much better than the usual newspaper stock that you see many other Sudoku books use), and there are plenty of Peanuts comic strips to tickle your funny bones too. The comic strips are bunched together between a jump in difficulty (the puzzles are rated 1-5 in difficulty), so they serve an organizational purpose too. Nice.
Of course, the presentation wouldn't mean much if the puzzles were no good. As already noted, the puzzles are organized in 1- to 5-"star" difficulty levels. (Actually, it doesn't use "star" ratings. 1-"star" rating is 1 Linus, 4-star rating is 4 Lucys, 5-star rating is 5 Charlie Browns, etc. I forget which characters the 2- and 3-"star" ratings were. I'll just keep using the word "star" in this review for the sake of simplicity.)
My cousin, prior to me getting her this book three days ago, had solved exactly *one* Sudoku puzzle with me. And she began this book by starting on puzzle #1 of this book on her own. Roughly 15 minutes later, she had solved it. It was easy enough to not frustrate her, and challenging enough to give her a sense of accomplishment. Over the past three days, she has solved about fifteen 1-star puzzles. She says she's "hooked." Excellent.
I also tried solving a couple of the 5-star puzzles to see how difficult the book will get later on. For the record, I'm a moderate-level Sudoku solver. I don't have much problem with Sudoku books that are marketed as "Difficult," but those that are marketed as "Fierce" give me trouble. Obviously I lack some of the more advanced Sudoku-solving techniques. (In fact, I have just ordered the Mensa Sudoku book to learn some of that more advanced techniques.)
Having said that, I must say that I found the 5-star puzzles to be just the right kind of difficult. It won't take any special advanced techniques, just a good deal of patience and a good grasp of the basic techniques. In most other Sudoku books, these puzzles would probably be classified as "moderately difficult." I have no doubt that, when my cousin works her way through 1- to 4-star puzzles and gains more experience and insight, she will find the 5-star puzzles to be entertainingly challenging just as she is finding the 1-star puzzles now.
All in all, this book has been an excellent purchase and gift. And with 200 puzzles, this book will keep my cousin busy for quite some time. Experienced Sudoku solvers may find this book entertaining too, but I think this book truly shines as a book for a beginner, and I have zero reservation recommending this book to other beginners.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
5.0 out of 5 stars
I love Snoopy!!, June 12, 2008
This review is from: Peanuts Sudoku Comic Digest: 200 Puzzles Plus 50 Classic Peanuts Cartoons (Paperback)
I love this Sudoku book. It combines two of my favorite things, Sudoku and Peanuts. It is my favorite cartoon of all time. The first section is very easy, but the next section is more challenging. It is nice to do the first ones, because they are almost brainless compared to the harder ones. So, this is good for first time Sudoku players, and ones with experience.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
