Sudoku For Dummies [Paperback]

Andrew Heron (Author), Edmund James (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 14, 2005

Sudoku For Dummies Volume 3 will offer 240 original and addictive puzzles including new circular and 16 x 16 puzzles to add new dimensions to game play and keep the most avid Sudoku fan entertained. Of the 240 puzzles, 220 are the popular 9x9 puzzles, 10 are 16 x 16, and 10 are circular puzzles. Within each of these categories there are Easy, Tricky, Tough and Diabolical puzzle ratings; and each puzzle is clearly identified with the rating.

More than just a listing of puzzles, Sudoku For Dummies, Volume 3 features a chapter explaining how to solve puzzles and the strategies involved. Additionally, readers receive all puzzle solutions in the back of the book. Finally, Sudoku For Dummies, Volume 3 includes a brief history of Sudoku (or Su Doku) for those interested. Descriptions of the puzzles are listed below.

Circular Sudoku (10 included: 3 Easy, 3 Tricky, 2 Tough, and 2 Diabolical)
The rules are similar to the normal 9x9 Sudoku but with some important differences. The puzzle is circular for a start, with 8 concentric rings. Each ring must contain the numbers 1-8 and each segment running into the centre of the circle and through to the opposite side of the circle must contain the numbers 1 - 8 and or course there can be no duplicate numbers!

16 x 16 Sudoku (10 included: 3 Easy, 3 Tricky, 2 Tough, and 2 Diabolical)
The grid is larger at 16 x 16 and solvers must fit the letters A-F into the grid alongside the numbers 0-9. 16 x 16 Sudoku are more difficult, take more time and are more infuriating than the normal puzzles - but just as addictive!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...to get you going with the basics and revealed the code for solving these puzzles..." (Nottingham Evening Post, Dec 31st 05)

From the Back Cover

Stretch your mind with 4 levels of puzzles, from easy to diabolically difficult!

Includes easy-to-follow instructions to help you solve all levels and types of Sudoku puzzles

Complete with puzzle-solving strategies plus 240 new puzzles, Sudoku For Dummies, Volume 3 helps you master the art of solving all types of Sudoku Puzzles, whether you're new to Sudoku or a daily puzzle solver. It includes 9 x 9 puzzles, 16 x 16puzzles, and even mind-bending circular puzzles. Each has adifficulty rating so you'll know what you're getting into plus answers so you don't lose sleep! Sudoku For Dummies, Volume 3 gets newcomers hooked and keeps experts entertained.

Discover how to

• Solve the popular 9 X 9 puzzles —220 included
• Work through the 16 X 16 puzzles —10 included
• Master the Circular puzzle —10 included
• Solve puzzles at 4 difficulty levels: Easy, Tricky, Tough, and Diabolical!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies (November 14, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470026677
• ISBN-13: 978-0470026670
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,184,983 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #75 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Quizzes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Mostly Puzzles, February 20, 2006

By 

S. Osborne "steve8511" (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sudoku For Dummies (Paperback)

This is a very very basic beginners book. 28 pages of "how to"
300+ pages of puzzles

1.0 out of 5 stars NOT in "for Dummies" tradition, March 22, 2010

By 

rufous (Santa Fe, NM United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sudoku For Dummies (Paperback)

Got this when I was past being a solver of easy sudoku puzzles hoping for strategies on how to solve these puzzles beyond the basic guidelines.
In the past, I've turned to the "for Dummies" series for pretty thorough HOW TO instructions on whatever...for Macs by David Pogue was one). These books had delivered on what they promised, so I got this "Sudoku for Dummies" Vol. 3 with high expectations.
MASSIVE DISAPPOINTMENT. It's mostly puzzles!--240 of them of varying difficulty--with only 28 pp of the most basic beginner guidelines. Of the 28 pp (taken up mostly by illustrative puzzles, only 21-26 go beyond the basics, but even then I had an issue with the clarity of the instructions and with the scarcity of different examples that would clarify a strategy. For ex., on p 24 about "hidden matched pairs" they refer to an element without defining that term. "If the 9 is somewhere else in the options of that element (it would have to be, otherwise it's the 9 for that element)..." what does "element" refer to? the #9? a square? Not clear and it's key to understanding the strategy.
Two sentences farther along: "In Figure 2.5 our matched pair eliminated just one 8, [which one?] but sometimes such a matched pair can get rid of large numbers of extraneous options." So...please show us.
On p 25 the authors give an illustrated example of "the rule of three numbers" and point out that "While this example eliminated only a single option, you can usually cull more with this method." So...please show us more options.
Then the authors reveal that these strategies help solve "all but the most difficult and extreme sudoku." They direct one to "one of the many Web sites and sudoku forums that have been set up just for sudoku solvers." But that's precisely why I bought this book!
If you're looking for strategies beyond the most elementary, don't bother with this book. It's a puzzle book, not a how-to book in the Dummies tradition.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good collection, May 31, 2006

By 

SSL (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sudoku For Dummies (Paperback)

The reason I chose this book over others, is for its variations of sudoku. I was originally introduced to sudoku years ago, in the book "MENSA Math & Logic Puzzles" by Dave Tuller and Michael Rios. Since this was published before sudoku became so popular, it is called by the name "Number Place". In addition to the standard sudoku, the MENSA book has great variations--not all sections are 3x3, but rather irregularly shaped (some like puzzle pieces, but still 9x9 grid). After enjoying those, when sudoku exploded, I got bored with the standard 9x9 grid really fast, so it was great to see a book (this one) with a variation on the original. Here is a warning, though: the 16x16 games take FOREVER and require a lot of patience to do it methodically. (The 9x9 grids have 81 squares, the 16x16 have 256--more than 3x as many squares.)