Green Belt Sudoku(r)

I am a casual Sudoku player, like to play it while waiting for appointments and airline flights. So, this is a great book for those who are past the EASY stage of Sudoku. You don't have to waste a bunch of too easy or too hard puzzles in a book. In fact, I bought it a second time and it is like doing new puzzles to me! It is just NOT-SO-EASY and not TOO hard!

Hard enough to keep me occupied but not impossible to solve like the Brown or Black Belt.

I actually received this entire series from my brother, who although he couldn't get into the Sudoku mode himself appreciated my passion for it. I enjoy all levels of Sudoku, and tend to select the difficulty of the puzzle I do on the basis of how I'm feeling rather than on what I believe my ability to be. I began this book when I wanted a little more of a challenge than the White Belt book could give me, while still not wanting to put my mental abilities to a real test. Green Belt Sudoku provided just the degree of challenge I wanted. I do have to agree with one of the other reviews; the book is somewhat uneven in its level of difficulty, with some of these puzzles actually being a little more difficult than some of those in the Brown Belt book. All in all, however, it's a satisfying book.

I first experienced "Sudoku" puzzles a couple of months ago - and I was drawn into this numbers/logic puzzle from the get-go. I find Sudoku's very relaxing, as you have to focus on what you're doing, so your mind tends to quiet down and do just that - focus... The way Sudoku works is this: You are given a 9x9 grid with a few numbers already filled in. The object is to get the numbers 1 through 9 in each of the boxes (there are nine), as well as in each row & column of the full 9x9 grid - with each number being used only once. I gave this particular Sudoku book 4 stars because, although it says the puzzles included are of medium difficulty, I've found that, in many cases, they are even harder than the tough-level puzzles I've completed to date. If you are a beginner to Sudoku, I would suggest "The Book of Sudoku" by Michael Mepham. I think it has better instructions & examples, and the puzzles include several different difficulty levels - so as you grow in learning how the puzzles work, you'll have puzzles that increase in difficulty as well. Overall, "Green Belt Sudoku" is a great book for those who are looking for a greater challenge. However, I would consider these puzzles to be at the "tough" level, so they may become quite frustrating to the beginner.

Sick with the flu, a friend gave me GREEN BELT SUDOKU to pass the time getting well. Of course, I had no idea what a sudoku puzzle was until I opened this book. It turns out that green belt is the medium level of difficulty. Pen in hand, I attacked the puzzles and worked the first few then hit three in a row that stumped me. Perhaps I am a white belt (easy level) sudoku person but I work a puzzle a day (with some successes and some "give ups") and find it a nice distraction from my routine. Working a sudoku puzzle requires concentration; only half joking, I would imagine sudoku would be a great way to delay the onset of dementia because it engages the mind so well. You don't have to be a math wizard to do these puzzles. The rules are fairly simple but apparently there are some sophisticated strategies and techniques for solving sudoku puzzles, based on the number of books offering such advice. GREEN BELT SUDOKU contains 300 medium-level puzzles with the answers. There is a brief introduction on what sudoku is and how to solve a sudoku puzzle. Sometimes spelled Su Doku, these logic-based placement puzzles were first created in the United States. The Japanese made sudoku popular in 2005. GREEN BELT SUDOKU is a good collection of puzzles for more experienced sudoku types and, at a puzzle a day, should keep someone busy for almost a year. Only the perhaps too-brief brief introduction keeps this from being a five-star review.