Astraware SuDoKu Review

By: Saravana Kumar Paulraj

January 21, 2006

Introduction:

Thanks to Mohd, for giving me another opportunity for writing a review on software for PPC.

Following the successful review of Bejweled 2, this time it is another game from Astraware. The game is SuDoKu.

The game also comes in for SmartPhone, Palm OS.

What is SuDoKu?

This is for those, who wanted to know what SuDoKu is. This is a 9x9 matrix of grid, to be filled in with numbers 1 to 9. Fill in the grid so that

1. every row,
2. every column,
3. every 3 x 3 box,

contains the digits 1 through 9 (and not repeated).

This puzzle needs no knowledge, but only concentration and patience to solve. For those who are interested in 'time killing' puzzle, this is an answer to try.

This is the same puzzle that comes in the 'Tabloid' section of GulfNews paper.

Why SuDoKu in PPC?

Ok, I take a paper and pencil and try to solve it, why PPC?? This game is for people who have a PPC and who say yes for any of the questions below,

1. I don't have to keep the lights 'ON' in nights, and disturb my folks
2. My handwriting is horrible, I don't want others to know that
3. I am writing something all the day in paper, and to have a puzzle, I don't want a paper job again
4. I want a game in my PPC - that I can always win, or take more time to finish
5. I JUST want a game in my PPC

First Things First

This is my favorite section, to put in something, before I start the actual review, and tell people that, 'Hey don't miss these!!'

1. Supported OS,
   1. Windows Mobile 2002 (old version)
   2. Windows Mobile 2003
   3. Windows Mobile 2003 SE
   4. Windows Mobile 5.0

    

2. Supported resolutions
   1. 240 x 240
   2. 240 x 320 - QVGA
   3. 480 x 640 - VGA

    

3. " As Astraware, is always great with the PPC with phone - the game works switches fine, when there is a call / SMS or anything to do with the phone (just ignore the call and continue solving, and keep the caller puzzled!!!)

Play the Game

The game also teaches, how to play SuDoKu in general, that you can use to solve in the paper or in the game itself. Let me, touch some basics and then go through the 'game' aspects.

As you know from the introduction, it's a number puzzle. A full fledged tutorial is available with the game itself. Running through the tutorial will make us an expert in SuDoKu, and send the puzzle results to "Gulf News" and make them hard to choose the winner.

The game comes in the following modes. The name says what they are. Starting with the easiest and increasing in the order of complexity.

1. Beginner
2. Easy
3. Medium
4. Tricky
5. Fiendish
6. Diabolical

The objective is simple and the game is even simpler. So, it is going to be just, see the tutorial and then 'play is dude'. I will leave that to the reader itself. Trust me, you will love it, and don't complain me, to review another addictive game for PPC.

Start the Game

Select any of the games (I began with easy), and proceed the game.

Then, you can start filling the possibilities, from the bottom numbers, and if you can guess the numbers, enter them by the right numbers (boxed numbers)

Once, the game is over, the game shows the time taken to finish the particular category of puzzle. You can remove the puzzle from the list of puzzles in the device. This will give us an access to the 'new puzzles' every time you open.

Auto Fill Game

Adjust the speed and then the device will fill in the cells for a solution.

Settings

Astraware has its own standards for the games and menus. This can be clearly known, if one has played another game before, from Astraware. You can check for Bejeweled 2 here.

All the settings found here are self explanatory, and are perfectly simpler, as they are slated out in their categories. So, let me skip this section.

Profiles

Similar to the 'Bejeweled 2', SuDoKu also comes with the 'profile mode'. This helps us to have more users for the game, when the credits goes to the right person in solving the game.

Creating Puzzles of your own

Have you exhausted the puzzles that are available in the game? This feature is available for the registered users only.

You can create your own puzzle (from the tabloid), and then get the results for the same. So, you can 'proudly' tell your friends that the puzzle is solved in few seconds itself - you need time to enter the puzzle in the device, the rest is a matter of fraction of seconds to complete.

Puzzle of the Day

Another way to get a new puzzle every day. If you have internet connection, WiFi, GPRS, PC-Connection, then download the puzzle of the day and solve it. The game has an option to solve the puzzle (of course yourself) and then upload the timings - and compare with other 'solvers'. Have fun!

Buy the Game

You can download the 'trial' version from the Astraware site. Try to purchase and get the benefits (as in the site)

1. Puzzle of the Day downloadable over the air or via connected device
2. Built in puzzle generator to give you an almost unlimited supply of SuDoKu
3. Puzzle solver to help with SuDoKu in newspapers and books

Comments from Others

A few lines of comments from the 'users' of my device (for games)

1. Not a puzzle, but also gives option to think and learn some logic - divide and conquer game
2. If not for the tutorial, I would still be a 'newbie' for the game
3. I came, I saw, got addicted

Conclusion

There is nothing more to conclude. The comments from the users of the game itself, says, it's a must have PPC application. Wait, let me complete another game and come...