At first, I found the Sudoku concept disarmingly simple. Place the numbers 1 through 9 on a Game Grid so that no number is repeated in a straight line or in any 3x3 grid. The easiest comparison would be to a crossword puzzle, when you start looking at multiple lines to determine which letter is missing from a word you can't guess. The fact that Sudoku puzzles contain only numbers means there isn't external logic in any sequence. It's not as if you get a hint as to what particular number sequence is present in any part of the puzzle. The internal logic is what makes
Go! Sudoku. The other comparison I make is to
Minesweeper or any derivative of that game. As you would look at a 3x3 "mines" grid and try to infer the content of mystery spaces, both by what you see and what you don't see,
Go! Sudoku is all about context.
Learning the game is easy, because there's a good tutorial. If you want to teach friends or just turn them onto the game, you can share a sequence of simple puzzles that give someone a taste of the action. The different modes in Go! Sudoku include Solo, which offers over 1,000 puzzles! At least 200 more are available for download from the publisher's site, either using a PSP or your PC. Much like the background images, you'll have to manually create a folder in which to store the additional games, which may be beyond some gamers. Rest assured that if you never download a single puzzle, there are 1,000 zingers included on the UMD to tide you over. All but the most fanatic Sudoku'er will have plenty to get them through.
Wireless play for between two to four players can be a lot of fun if you happen to know other fans. The Battle Mode is a turf war, with each player working in an assigned color and trying to place as many numbers as possible. Once the Grid is full, the player with the most color on the board is the winner. Versus Mode is similar, but here the goal is to complete a Game Grid before the other players, regardless of who picks the most numbers. In both cases, guessing or consistently choosing incorrectly results in demerits and can lose you the battle. Even in the Solo game, Go! Sudoku is anything but guesswork. Sure, there are only nine number combinations, but guessing is a slippery slope. A few bad outcomes and you've set the whole puzzle on a spin. If you aren't up to the more challenging puzzle, there are some good helper features and a wealth of puzzles rated Easy or Mild.
