A Number Puzzle Without Any Math

Crosswords are great for people with large lexicons, but what about the rest of us? Sudoku is a great game because anyone can play it, regardless of their prior experience or existing knowledge. While it does involve numbers, you don't need to perform any arithmetic whatsoever.

How to Play

In a nutshell, your goal is to fill the entire 9 x 9 grid with numbers, ensuring that each row, column, and 3 x 3 sub-block only contain the numbers 1 to 9 once. Some puzzles can be easy, only taking a few minutes to complete. Others may occupy you for hours as you guess, re-guess, and guess again.

Simple is Best

In the GameHouse rendition of Sudoku, you get everything that you need without any kind of extra fluff to get in the way. The game board is large (nearly filling the entire screen) and easy to read, with no distracting banner advertisements or flashy graphics. This is Sudoku at its simplest (and at its best). The interface is incredibly straight forward -- you click on a number with your mouse and then you click on the square where you'd like place the number -- with a speedy "undo" button if you happen to make a mistake.

Options and Buttons

There are a small number of buttons on the screen in addition to the grid and the number blocks.

• Clear: Acts like an eraser
• Pause: Pauses the timer
• Undo: Reverses the most recent move
• Reset: Reverts back to the beginning of the puzzle
• Automark: A useful feature that fills in every square with all the possible numbers.
• Menu: Brings up game options, "how to play" instructions, etc.

Can I Get A Little Help?

By using the Automark feature, you can see if only one number can fit in that square, or if it's the only square in its row, column, or 3 x 3 block which can fit a particular number. It still takes some scanning, checking, and re-checking, but it certainly streamlines the puzzle playing experience.

Tips and Hints

• Always start with the row, column, or 3 x 3 block that is the most populated. Generally, this presents fewer possibilities and it becomes easier to fill in the unfilled squares.
• Investigate each row, column, and 3x3 grid for any instances where one and only one block can be filled by a particular number.
• Aim to complete rows, columns, and 3 x 3 grids. By establishing smaller goals, it becomes easier to achieve the larger goal of completing the puzzle.
• Avoid "guessing" if at all possible. You don't want to base a series of responses on a single incorrect "fill".

A Puzzling Blast

There may be Sudoku puzzle books available, but it is a lot more convenient playing this popular number puzzle on your computer. You don't have to mess with pencils and erasers, undoing an incorrect move takes but a simple mouse click rather than a messy scribble-out, and there are countless puzzles to enjoy with just a single download. With ten different difficulty levels, any Sudoku enthusiast -- regardless of skill and experience -- can have a puzzling blast.