The Book of Kakuro

I generally agree with the majority of the comments expressed about this book. Firstly, the puzzles ARE very hard , - yes even those titled "Gentle". As such it could get you down and very frustrated but no doubt Michael Mepham would say that's the whole point. However, it WILL appeal to those people who like challenges so it could score on that point. I think it is absorbing nevertheless.

Yes, I agree that the quality of the paper is poor and the puzzles are all difficult, even the "Easy" ones. However, for those looking for tough puzzles, this book is very good, and outshines the other Kakuro (aka "Add 'Em Up") books I've seen. The difficulty rating really refers only to the size of the grid; i.e., the "Easy" ones have the fewest rows and columns. The techniques required to solve the puzzles are pretty much the same for all difficulty levels. I would like to mention one technique that is required to solve many, if not most, of the puzzles in this book. That is because it does not seem to be required in other Kakuro books I've seen, and could be a stumbling block for some readers of this book. Consider an area of the puzzle (generally not rectangular). Let R be the sum of all entries in this area, when the row totals are summed. Similarly, let C be the sum of all entries when the column totals are summed. Naturally, R = C. Sometimes R can be calculated (i.e., each row total equals the given row sum less the sum of known entries in the row that are outside the given area), and C can expressed C = A - x, where A is a computed constant and x equals the unknown value of a cell that is not in the given region. It follows that x = A - R. (Obviously, the same technique can be employed when C can be computed and R can be expressed R = A - x.) Occasionally, Mepham is particularly devilish, requiring us to extend this approach to obtain an expression x = y + B (or x = B - y), where x and y represent values of two cells outside the area, and B is a computed constant. Clear as mud?

Just when you thought Sudoku was the latest puzzle to drive you crazy, along comes Kakuro, another Japanese puzzle to become the newest craze. Like Sudoku, Kakuro is really anything but new; it has been in Dell puzzle publications for years under the name "Cross Sums." No matter what you want to call it, however, it is an interesting puzzle with rules as simple as those of Sudoku and that's as maddeningly challenging. I have two complaints with this book that knock a star off its rating. First, the difficulty ratings seem based more upon the size of the puzzle grid than upon its true difficulty. The first few puzzles in the book have a small grid, but they're not as easy as warm-up puzzles should be. Second, the book's paper is rather pulpy and it is difficult to erase your mistakes. In spite of these glitches, it's still a great way to exercise your gray cells. Try it, and watch the hours disappear. Eileen Rieback