World Famous Comics: The Virgin Book of Killer Sudoku
The Virgin Book of Killer Sudoku
From: Virgin Books Publisher: Virgin Books Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Virgin Books Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 144 Publication Date: December 26, 2006 Release Date: December 26, 2006
If you thought Sudoku was difficult wait until you try Killer Sudoku! The next step up from normal Sudoku, these killer puzzles use the same grid as Sudoku and require the reader to fill in the numbers 1 to 9 as before. But this time the numbers in the outlined boxes must also all add up to a specific number.
With five difficulty ratings, from 'very easy' to 'deadly', the 100 brand-new Killer Sudoku puzzles in this book will provide a challenge to the most ardent Sudoku addict.
A decent intermediate level book If you enjoy solving logic puzzles and you'd like to sharpen your mental arithmetic skills, then these are the puzzles for you. These puzzles are similar to Classic Sudoku in that you have to place the numbers 1-9 uniquely in each row, column, and box. The difference is that a Killer Sudoku puzzle is also covered with dotted outline "cages", each of which has a number that indicates the sum of the numbers within the cage and the numbers within the cages must also be unique. There are many techniques that can be used to solve these puzzles, and discovering them is half the fun.
This book contains a two-page Introduction, three pages on "How to Solve a Killer Sudoku", a one-page "List of Unique Number Combinations", 50 Easy puzzles, 35 Medium puzzles, 10 Difficult puzzles, 5 Deadly puzzles, and Solutions. The format is one puzzle per page and the puzzles are a good size (3.75" x 3.75").
The "How to Solve a Killer Sudoku" section gives a fairly minimal explanation of some simple techniques. One of the most important techniques (The Rule of 45) is not even mentioned. If you don't figure this one out you'll have a hard time completing a lot of the harder puzzles. For an excellent explanation of Killer Sudoku solving techniques, see Djape's book "Sudoku K (Killer), Volume 1".
In each section the puzzles tend to progress from easier to harder. There are a couple of hard puzzles in the medium section. A couple of the deadly puzzles are slightly harder than the hard puzzles; the others are about the same as the hard puzzles. I would have preferred fewer easy puzzles and more medium and hard puzzles. Overall, I think this is a good book for intermediate solvers and beginners who learn quickly. For advanced solvers who are looking for more of a challenge, check out Killer Sudoku Online. The Greater Than Killer Sudoku puzzles are especially fiendish.
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