The Essential Book of Su Doku: The World's Most Popular Puzzle Game

Other reviews may mention that there are no instructions or history lessons within the pages of The Essential Book of Su Doku. There aren't hints for the hard puzzles either. This collection of 200 Sudoku puzzles is just that, a collection. With five varying levels of difficulty, and 40 puzzles for each level, it provides the perfect collection for people who actually want to do Sudoku. As for the specific puzzles, well... We all know that people do Sudoku puzzles on the toilet. Proof that the mathematical and logical portions of the brain are not necessary for the nether regions, this collection is great for the quick sit down, and ideal for the give and take, the neck-vein bulging, epic porcelain battles and struggles best conveyed in The Old Man and The Sea. As with that legendary tale, man shall always overcome, but the pain involved may be significant. Level 1 - A quick sit-down challenge, the easiest puzzles are meant for the quick "single wipe get back to the game"-bathroom visits. Also known as "The Taco Bell Sudoku." Level 2 - Ideally tackled after a hearty dinner, these puzzles are to be completed in comfort and during a normal session. Level 3 - Meant as a mental hurdle, the time required for Level 3 is not long enough for the toilet seat to cut off blood flow to the legs, causing them to go to sleep, but it's close. Level 4 - Made for the repeat visit, these penultimate accomplishments require serious thought and varying strategies. Not for the novice Sudooker, these require a bookmark and are perfect for the day or two after competing in a hot wing eating competition. Level 5 - Grab a Snickers, because you're not going anywhere for a while. Nearly all puzzles require multiple approaches, different ideas, and are intended for a quiet, inviting environment for those excruciating wars with constipation that cause slurred, Sylvester Stallone speech. You will NOT finish one of these puzzles in a single sitting. In totality, I have had this book for a year, and I'm just about finished with it. Highly recommended for the multi-tasker. Jason Elin

I bought the Big Book of Sudoku and stopped using it due to the waffer thin papper. This book as a nice heavy stock. The margins are to big, the puzzles could be expanded. Over the puzzles were not that hard (compared to Daily Sudoku's Uk Very Hard one) Small size makes it easy to carry. Nice book for starters or travelling. Not good enough if you've done alot of them.

The reason I rated this book 4 Stars is that it has 200 puzzles of 5 levels of difficulty.;and 40 puzzles of each level.Therefore, a pretty good book for someone looking for more puzzles. However,there has been no attempt to give hints or methods for solving.That alone makes this not the book to buy for a novice to solve Sukodos.There is a bit of history on the puzzle but very weak and doesn't give the impression that the puzzle was around in the US in the 70's, picked up by a Japanese puzzle book editor and taken back to Japan.It became a very popular alternative to our Crossword puzzles as their language doesn't lend itself to crosswords. The book is a good size,but the puzzle grid could have been larger as it uses only about 2/3 of the page. Overall, not my first choice for a novice.For some better choices see my reviews of Aug 3 (2 books),Aug 6,Aug 10,and Sept 30.

This is a great book containing 200+ puzzles. However, there are no instructions or hints on how to work the puzzles. If you are new to Su doku and looking for instructions, this is not the book for you. However, once you get the hang of puzzle solving, this is nice sized book to carry around with you. Good variety of easy, medium and difficult puzzles. The pages hold up to eraser marks.