Which is good on two fronts: the original game was pretty good, and the new input method makes the game much more enjoyable. The company has updated that game for the iPhone, and except for the fact that you enter numbers using the iPhone’s touchscreen instead of an iPod’s Click Wheel, the gameplay is almost exactly the same. There’s also a stats screen that shows the percentage of puzzles you’ve played that you’ve solved.īig Bang Sudoku’s games are non-symmetrical.įirst released a Sudoku game for the 5th-generation iPod back in 2006. Other features include an option to show all incorrect moves (you can toggle this display on and off, via the Options menu, to quickly view your mistakes) the ability to mute sound and a game timer. While Big Bang Sudoku doesn’t offer nearly as many options and features as Hudson’s offering, it’s perhaps simpler to use, and it includes over 10,000 puzzles across four difficulty levels (Easy, Medium, Hard, and Diabolical) you can choose your difficulty level at the beginning of each game. On the other hand, if you’re the sort who prefers to first note all cells that could accept a 1, then to note all possible 2s, and so on, this approach is more efficient. With the input method used by the other two apps covered here, I could simply tap the cell and then tap 3, 5, and 8. My only beef is that no matter which font you choose, the numbers used for notations can be difficult to read.Īlthough this entry system is simple and understandable, I found it to be a bit of a hassle for entering multiple notations in a single cell if I wanted, for example, to note that a particular cell could be a 3, 5, or 8, I had to tap 3, then the cell, then 5, then the cell, then 8, and then the cell again. 1’s controls are excellent, and although the overall appearance of the game isn’t as attractive as that of the other two games here, it’s clear and effective. (The keypad changes color to indicate whether you’re in notation or solve mode.) There’s also a dedicated erase button, as well as Undo and Redo buttons-the latter two unique to Sudoku Vol. To solve a cell, you tap the cell, then tap the solve button, then tap the desired number. To make notations in a cell, you tap the cell, then tap the notation button, and then tap (on the keypad) the possible values for the cell. You use this 9-digit keypad to enter notations and cell values. Finally, when all nine occurrences of a number have been entered, that number is grayed out on the onscreen keypad. A Hint button, which can be used three times for each puzzle, fills in a random unsolved cell. (You can turn off this feature if you don’t want it.) In addition, if you double-tap any given cell or solved cell, all other given and solved incidences of that cell’s number are highlighted this is useful for quickly seeing, for example, which regions still need the number 2. For example, one of my favorite “helper” features is called Borders: when you tap on a cell, a gold outline (shown to the right) surrounds the selected cell’s host region and the row and column containing the cell, making it easier to determine which numbers that cell can and cannot contain. It also provides a number of visual tools for helping you solve puzzles. 1 offers a tutorial mode that explains Sudoku and walks you through the solving of a puzzle. Perhaps the best Sudoku app for beginners (and lazy puzzle-solvers), Wikipedia’s page on the game these reviews assume you know the basics. If you’ve never played Sudoku before, I recommend checking out However, I’ve noted in the summaries below if an app uses symmetrical puzzles. I tend to agree, but I didn’t hold a lack symmetry against the candidates. Although not technically a requirement, many purists don’t consider non-symmetrical puzzles to be “true” Sudoku. Unfortunately, none of the better Sudoku games available for the iPhone and iPod touch exclusively use symmetrical puzzles-those in which the pre-filled boxes (called givens) in opposing regions mirror each other. 1 (left), Big Bang Sudoku (middle), and EA’s Sudoku (right) Includes puzzles for multiple skill levels. (For example, a couple Sudoku apps that didn’t make the cut satisfied most criteria, but their methods for making notations obscured other parts of the puzzle.) Offers good usability: easy-to-use input methods, clear controls, and readable graphics. (These markings are often called notations.) Provides a way to note (or “pencil in”) the possible values for each square as you solve a puzzle. Includes puzzles with only a single solution. (Some Sudoku variants break the standard 9-by-9 grid into non-square geometric areas, or use colors or images instead of numbers.) Uses a standard 9-by-9-cell grid of numbers with nine square (3-by-3-cell) regions.
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