Absolutely Nasty(r) Sudoku Level 2

I've been working a number of puzzles in books edited by Will Shortz and wanted a book of puzzles that were equivalent to his "Beware! Very Challenging" designation, without the easier puzzles. This is perfect! In fact, I think some of the puzzles are slightly harder. So far (60 puzzles in, of a total of 242), I've been able to solve all the puzzles. But they've made me think. And some I've had to set aside overnight and approach with a fresh eye the next day. As noted by other reviewers, the spiral bind is good for working puzzles, the book is a good size for working in your lap, paper quality is good and the grid sizes reasonable. NOTE: This book does not have any solving tips or instructions. If you don't already have some idea of the rules and how to solve puzzles, I'd recommend an easier book that does have instructions. I have not used the Mensa book, but I've heard it's good. I was given the following book and found it very understandable and informative, with plenty of puzzles in a nice progression of difficulty: Sudoku For Dummies

This is the best Sudoku book (series) that I've seen. The puzzles are all one level of difficulty, so I don't have to turn to the end of the book for the hard ones while leaving the rest of the book blank. They all have unique answers, and are very challenging. It's strange to think of a puzzle as 'beautiful' but some of these are! I've almost finished the Level 2 book, and now I've refined my techniques enough that most of the puzzles are not too difficult (in the beginning they were very challenging). Now I'll move onto Level 3.

The format is very good. Puzzles are large enough. The difficulty matches well to the level. I buy all 4 of the series for myself and as gifts. If you're tired of sudoku books which claim to have difficult puzzles and find only medium level difficulty, then this is the series for you.

I recently purchased the entire Menza series, and I have to say they've lived up to the Menza criteria. You have to focus and know your solving techniques to get through these without guessing or cheating. Do yourself a favor and purchase the book Mensa Guide to Solving Sudoku: Hundreds of Puzzles Plus Techniques to Help You Crack Them All (Mensa) to help you learn the techniques used in these puzzles. I started out by letting my wife begin with Mensa Absolutely Nasty Sudoku Level 1 (Mensa), and I've been working on Level 2. After familiarizing myself with the solving tips, I went to work on my Level 2. Usually I go straight to the back and try and solve the last puzzle in the book. That kinda tells me how difficult the book will be. That puzzle is still unsolved. I've now worked through the first 65 puzzles in Level 2, starting from #1. I've used the X-Wing technique frequently and also some Swordfishes to get through these, so you'd better be prepared. My wife is also struggling with her Level 1, but mostly due to inefficiant candidate marking and not staying focused on all possibilities while marking. Some of her puzzles have, however, still required an X-Wing to solve. When I get really stuck, I also tend to use a sudoku tool called Simple Sudoku. This is freeware and can be downloaded from [...]. This tool will allow you to easily see things such as hidden pairs and locked candidates when you build in your book puzzles. Use the filters to find the X-Wings and Swordfishes, and if you still have trouble, the tool will provide you with a hint, although even the hints themselves can be a little difficult to figure out. These books are definitely for the serious Sudoku puzzlers. I can only imagine how hard the Level 4 book will be, but I'll need to work up to that. Have fun with it!

These books are so nice! The puzzles are nice and big, and the paper is high quality, which definitely makes it easier. I concur with the previous reviewer, though. Volume 2 is not noticeably harder than Volume 1. However, Volumes 3 & 4 will wear you out! They did me (you might know all the crazy techniques I have yet to learn). The books are really well made and a pleasure to work. I enjoy them immensely, and I hope you do as well!!! :)