Will Shortz's Favorite Sudoku Variations: 100 Kakuro, Killer Sudoku, and More Brain-Twisting Puzzles

I really enjoy sudoku, kakuro (cross sums) and will shortz, so I was looking forward to this book and was not disappointed. Here you'll find Wacky Sudoku, in which you are plying with non-3x3 subgrids; Hyper Sudoku, in which there are 4 3x3 grids embedded within the usual puzzle and these must also meet Sudoku solving criteria; ABC Sudoku, sometimes called Wordoku -- these were not terribly challenging; Killer Sudoku, a combination of Sudoku and Kakuro; and Kakuro. There are 100 puzzles altogether. Size of the book is good, 6'x9" with nice big grids. I'd buy it again.

If you loved sudoku puzzles but you have done so many that they are not fun anymore, then these puzzles are what you need. Each type of variation starts out simple and gets more challenging with each puzzle. The size of the puzzles on each page make them comfortable to do. As with all Will Shortz books, the puzzles are well designed to develop your logic skills as you move up in difficulty. These are fun puzzles. Do one every day and keep your brain in optimal condition.

CONTENTS 1-page introduction by Will Shortz 2 pages of instructions 20 Wacky Sudoku puzzles 20 Hyper Sudoku puzzles 20 ABC Sudoku puzzles 20 Killer Sudoku puzzles 20 Kakuro puzzles Solutions Wacky Sudoku - (Also known as "Geometrical Sudoku", "Geometry Sudoku", "Jigsaw Sudoku", "Shape Sudoku", and others.) In these puzzles you place the numbers 1-9 uniquely in each column, row, and outlined region. Hyper Sudoku - (Also known as "Sudoku Extra".) In these puzzles you place the numbers 1-9 uniquely in each column, row, 3x3 box, and shaded 3x3 box. ABC Sudoku - (Also known as "Alphabet Sudoku", "Wordoku", and others.) In these puzzles you place 9 letters (all of which are given in the starting hints) uniquely in each column, row, and 3x3 box. The 9 letters can be anagrammed into a word that appears in the shaded row or column. Killer Sudoku - (Also known as "Sums Sudoku".) In these puzzles you place the numbers 1-9 uniquely in each column, row, and 3x3 box. In addition, outlined regions indicate the sum of the numbers in that region and the numbers in each region must be unique. (Think of this type of puzzle as a cross between standard Sudoku and Kakuro.) Kakuro - (Also known as "Cross Sums".) In these puzzles you place the numbers 1-9 in the grid such that each section adds up to the indicated sum and within each section the numbers are unique. OPINION If, like me, you've done hundreds to thousands of standard Sudoku puzzles and now find them boring, or if you're a relative newcomer to Sudoku puzzles and would like a taste of some of the variations, this is a good book to check out. There are no difficulty levels listed for the puzzles, but they generally run from easy to hard within each section. I found the difficulty of the puzzle types to be (easiest to hardest) ABC Sudoku, Hyper Sudoku, Killer Sudoku, Kakuro, Wacky Sudoku. If you're good at anagrams, you'll find the ABC Sudoku puzzles easy to solve. I had trouble only with the last puzzle because it took me quite a while to figure out the anagram. I found Hyper Sudoku to be generally easier than standard Sudoku because of the extra clues afforded by the shaded areas. Killer Sudoku is currently my favorite variation. I found these puzzles to be pretty easy. My only gripe with them is that the background of the sum regions is shaded so it's really difficult to see the borders of the 3x3 regions. (Publisher take note: bad idea.) Kakuro is almost as interesting as Killer Sudoku. Most of these puzzles were pretty easy except for the last two which were fairly tricky. I found the Wacky Sudoku puzzles to be the hardest mainly because of the more complex configuration. The book is supple enough that you can fold it in half and the grids are large (roughly 4 3/8" x 4 3/8") giving a reasonable amount of room for making notes in each square. I think this book is a good sampler and beginner book and is an amusing diversion for intermediate and advanced solvers. If you find yo

If you like Sudoku and other word/number puzzles this one is for you! With Will Shortz providing the puzzles you can always count on a solution, even when you're pulling your hair out. I find myself enjoying waiting room opportunities and other occassions to work on these brain teasers.

Anyone who has looked over the huge assortment of sudoku books should be familiar with the name Will Shortz. While sudoku books are starting to lose way to the lower-priced puzzle magazines this book represents some of the things the magazines do not yet supply. Here we have a number of sudoku variations as well as kakuro (which is also starting to feature prominently in the magazines). First we have Wacky Sudoku (what Carol Vorderman calls Squiffy Sudoku). It follows the same idea as normal sudoku. It is a 9X9 grid with nine smaller sub-grids. But these sub-grids are not the easy 3X3 squares of standard sudoku. These varying shapes add a new level of challenge to the puzzle. There are twenty of these in the book. Next we have Hyper Sudoku. This is played on a standard 9X9 grid made up of nine 3X3 sub-grids. But, there are four more 3X3 sub-grids overlapping the other nine. These are separated out by being shaded. There are twenty of these puzzles included in the book. After that we get ABC Sudoku (also called wordku). Here the grid is the same as standard sudoku but the numerals 0 thru 9 have been replaced by nine letters of the alphabet. Each grid uses a different selection of letters so greater care is needed. Once solved, one row or column will spell a nine-letter word. There are twenty of these puzzles included. Next is Killer Sudoku (one of my favorites). Here the standard grid us used but the clues are given in different ways. Any square may be roped off in a sub-region and a total is given for what the numbers in the sub-region add up to. The regular rules of sudoku apply. Twenty of these are included. Finally we get kakuro (also known as cross-sums). This is not a true variant of sudoku but a puzzle all its own. It resembles a crossword puzzle but there are no clues. Grids can vary greatly in size. Each row and column segment is labeled with the total the numbers in it add up to. There are no duplications in any row or column segment. I find this as addictive as sudoku. There are twenty of these puzzles included. So we wind up with one-hundred puzzles on five different types. This is a good way to experience some of the variations and see if you wish to pursue them more fully. The low cover price makes it a safe investment even if you don't like all of the variations.