Speak Softly and Carry A Big Sudoku

My Sudoku obsession has subsided a bit, but I still do at least a couple of puzzles a day. I’m beginning to see Sudoku board games, so the puzzle has pretty much worked itself into the pop culture landscape for now.

Astraware has created a Sudoku game for handhelds available in Palm OS, Pocket PC, and Windows Mobile Smartphone formats. More information is available here.

They also have a separate Soduku site here. It’s got a daily puzzle, plus it has a pretty interesting guide for puzzle-solving techniques. I have a sequence of steps in my head for solving the puzzles, but I would never try to list them, much less give them names like “X-Wing” and “Swordfish”. “Nishio” is the last-ditch method I use if I simply cannot fill any more of the blanks. If you don’t have your technique down yet, this guide may help.

Not surprisingly, the site also sells its very own Sudoku gear. They even have t-shirts where you can proclaim your skill level to the world. This is the one t-shirt that kind of stands out:


I suppose it was inevitable, but they’ve finally dragged Sudoku into the gutter. Damn you, Astraware!