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An Introduction To Sudoku And Sudoku Game Information Extended
While many Sudoku game players do not know this, the game has actually been around for well over a thousand years, although the exact date has not been verified. It is speculated that Sudoku originated in Rome, as there are a number of remains from ancient cities containing Latin numbers on squares.

These remains served as the antecedent for later Sudoku like creations. The next to pick up on this game, as far as evidence dictates, were the 10th century Arabs, who created a highly similar game which was played in the same way.

Shortly after, however, (as the story of Sudoku seems to be) the game was lost to history once again; and was not picked up until a Swiss mathematician named Leonhard Euler reinvented it in the 18th century once again.

Even so, the Sudoku game died off once again and was not revived until the early 1980s in the United States. Again, while many Sudoku game players might not know this, the name is only Japanese because the game was repopularized in Japan after being reinvented in the United States.

While one might expect the Sudoku game to have continued from then until now, it actually did not. It died off once again until it was revived in the 21st century by Howard Garns, who had originally revived it in the 1980s. Since it had already become popular again in Japan, the game retained its Japanese trademarked name.

And in 2005, Sudoku took off in the United States, becoming one of the largest puzzle sensations ever. If you search through various blogs and Sudoku game information sites, you will find many people refer to this challenging game as the new Rubix Cube. If you grew up in the 80s it would be difficult to forget the six-sided and six colored square, but Sudoku is doing just that.

If you conduct a web search for Sudoku game you will find it has a massive following. The Internet has become a perfect haven for those logically inspired sleuths dedicated to filling in the boxes and solving puzzles. There are tons of websites dedicated to the game. There are also contests where contestants can actually win money or prizes. Contests, however, usually have to be done in person because there are computer programs available which can solve Sudoku game puzzles in a snap.

This has actually been a significant problem with Sudoku game tournaments in the past: hackers would develop software which could easily fill in squares; and then they would use it to defeat other players without even making an attempt to fill in the squares without cheating.

Sudoku is actually an abbreviation of the Japanese phrase suuji wa dokushin ni kagiru. Translated, it means the digits remain single. Normally, an ordinary Sudoku game puzzle is a 9 x 9 grid divided into nine 3×3 subgroups. Some of the cells have numbers and clues in them. Others are empty. The goal of the game is to pencil in the missing numbers in a logical fashion, but remember, each number one through nine can be used only once.

The difficulty levels of Sudoku game are varied. Puzzles can be crafted to fit highly experienced players or pure novices. Even the very young can get in on playing Sudoku game. If you found yourself a fan of the Rubix Cube back in the 1980s, there is a good chance the Sudoku game craze would be right up your analytical alley. Give it a try and who knows, you might get hooked!

A good way to pick up playing Sudoku might be to purchase a paper booklet (which are now sold in stores, much like crossword puzzles) and play off of that. You should start off using a pencil, but as soon as you begin getting better, you should attempt puzzles with a pen. This will force you to use a better system of thinking when completing puzzles. If you do it lazily or incorrectly, then you will not be able to complete the puzzle.

Of course, if you would prefer not to pay for a booklet, you can always go to a Sudoku site online and play there or print out puzzles, so you can play them offline instead.

Varieties Of Sudoku – The Craze Just Got Crazier
Do you remember when there was only one type of sudoku puzzle? It was a simple (or sometimes not so simple) 3×3 grid using only the numbers 1 to 9. Now, as the sudoku craze is sweeping the world, new sudoku varieties are coming out of the woodwork. There are now so many variations on the original sudoku game, that newbies just don’t know where to start. Here is a quick guide to some of the newer sudoku variations with basic rules.

Standard Sudoku: This is the original sudoku game (also called Number Place). It is also referred to as a 3×3 (3 mini-grids across, 3 mini-grids down). Each mini-grid, row, and column must contain the numbers 1 through 9. There can be no duplicates in any row, column, or min-grid.

Sudoku 4×4 and 5×5: This is similar to a standard sudoku, but there are either 4 mini-grids across and down, or 5 mini-grids across and down. The 4×4 variation usually uses the numbers 1 through 16, though some versions also add in letters. The 5×5 version uses both numbers and letter. Again, no duplicate letters or numbers are permitted in rows, columns, or mini-grids.

Sudoku-X: The X factor in this puzzle is simply the addition of one rule: Each of the two corner-to-corner diagonals must not have duplicate numbers. So, in a 3×3 sudoku-x, each column, row, mini-grid, AND the two diagonals will have the numbers 1 through 9.

Alphadoku: Similar to a standard sudoku but uses letters of the alphabet instead of numbers. How many numbers used will depend on how many mini-grids are across and down.

Samurai Sudoku: Typically, 5 standard sudoku puzzles are joined together in the middle. The first 4 full sudoku puzzles are placed separately, with the fifth puzzle placed in the very center sharing a mini-grid with each of the other 4. Each full puzzle can be worked separately, but they must all follow the rules of the standard sudoku.

Killer Sudoku: A killer sudoku requires simple adding. There will still be rows, columns, and mini-grids, but the individual squares (or cells) of the puzzle will be connected (either by color or by dotted lines). There is a small number in the upper corner of the connected cells. The numbers that go in each of the connected cells must add up to this number. Killer sudokus still follow all the same rules of unique numbers.

Irregular Sudoku: These puzzles do not have square mini-grids; they are “irregular” in shape but must still contain all the numbers 1 though 9. Standard row and column rules apply. While these puzzles are not any more difficult than a standard sudoku, it does take a while to “train” your eye to recognize an irregular mini-grid shape.

As time goes on, sudoku authors create new sudoku variations and even combine the above sudoku games into a new puzzle. Imagine a Killer Sudoku X Samurai with Irregular mini-grids. Now THAT sounds like a challenge!