uk+kiwi

Has anyone become addicted to this latest craze?

I have been introduced to Sudoku this weekend, so have enjoyed doing the odd one or two along with all the visitors we have had staying with us!

So I was wondering whether fans of programmes like Countdown (Caroline/Phyll ) for starters had succumbed to this latest pastime?

So what's the verdict?

Pinkie Pie

Oh, you know me so well.... I saw the books in Ottakars this weekend and forced myself to walk away - I just haven't got time at the minute what with trying to get this ITA put together!!! I think I might just have done the longest covering letter that the NZIS are ever likely to receive!!!

bookemjano

I've bought two books, they're in the suitcase for the plane! If I can resist them until then! I love anything like that, me and hubby have ongoing competitions on Mahjongg, Solitaire, Pinball - anything we can record scores on. For years we had a Yahtzee scoreboard, we'd play for hours trying to beat each other. We really should get out more.

uk+kiwi

oh yahtzee...that brings back great family holiday memories for me of when i was about 15 or so and in the canaries with my parents and sister. great game. i think i may buy it again.

uk+kiwi

yes try and resist until the ita is done or else you will get sidetracked and then you can reward yourself

Panda_Pops

Sudoku? Sudoff!!

Sue

Ok I can't stand it any longer.......please someone put me out of my misery........what is Sudoku?????????

Sue

uk+kiwi

Sue,

Sudoku is the hot new puzzle craze. Believed to have originated in Japan, but in fact the Japanese found one in an American magazine and it immediatley caught on back home (unlike traditional word puzzles which cannot translate) reaching craze status in 2004. The craze then spread to the UK through puzzle pages in national newspapers - eg Times, Telegraph.

Several books have appeared and are dominating the 'new' section of big bookstores.

They are traditionally seen as numbers puzzles, BUT they do work just as well with the numbers changed for letters or other symbols. In essence, they are somewhat logical puzzles to start with, but graded in difficulty so that the harder ones require some 'guessing' (which may end up being incorrect) and dead ends.

So they consist of a grid like traditional word puzzles, and through a few different methods, you fill in the blank number spaces. 9 boxes all with 9 squares make up the grid. All the 'squares' must contain the numbers 1-9, all rows across the grid and all colums the same, ie 1-9 only appearing once. Have a look at http://www.sudoku.com/

Enjoy

Pinkie Pie

Did you have to put a link in!!!! You have no idea what you may have just started in our house... :scared:

bookemjano

Nooooooooooooo! No link. Got to stop checking the BE site in work. Taking a deep breath, trying to resist the urge to open the link.

bookemjano

Too late.

Ah sack it, I'm leaving in 9 weeks anyway.

I'm going to Sudoku now, I may be some time ................

uk+kiwi

resist, resist. you don't have time for this sort of nonsense!!!

actually, i haven't found it addictive, unlike say the British expats website

uk+kiwi

Sorry, I forgot to say that I put the link it so Sue primarily could visualise what on earth I was trying to explain in words!!!!

Anyhow Pinkie, we all know you are the Queen of Google Search, so I'm surprised you are a Sudoku search virgin

Just get the paperwork done and time will become free! Having said that, if you find yourself somewhere out of the house say at the park/fields with the kids (not in today's weather obviously) with no paperwork to fill in, you owe it to yourself to have something to occupy your mind surely? But I do not want to be responsible for major side-tracking!

bookemjano

Maybe if I can manage to solve just one puzzle I might be able to resist the urge to carry on, but haven't got that far yet.

Panda_Pops

Never seen the appeal of Sudoku personally, give me the Times cryptic crossword anyday

1 down - Stars Wars Count who's name makes Cash's money.

1 across - puzzling concept that nets it's creators nine figures.

and so on........