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Note: Some games may omit to mention all the game
controls, so these are some commonly used game controls,
although not all games will use them.
F1 for help, F4 switch between a window and fullscreen, F5
saves game, F6 load a saved game, Esc exit the game.
Pure
Sudoku.
Pure Sudoku is an excellent Sudoku game, containing 20,000
puzzles. It has four difficulty levels, ranging from very
easy to difficult (difficult is very hard, I found
intermediate tricky).
The game has very slick graphics, with smooth fade
effects and 43 different and attractive backgrounds.
Although personally I found the backgrounds distracting
and used the plain background (pictured below).
Controls are very
important in Sudoku games and the Pure Sudoku control
system is very good.
You can mouse click on the number list to the left of the
screen and then click on your chosen square. A mouse
wheel is a great asset, as you can scroll up and down the
number list.
Alternatively you can use the keyboard number keys (and
delete key) combined with the mouse to place your numbers.
My choice of control, is to drag and drop the numbers
into position (although you cant see them move) from the
number list, you can even drag and drop the delete button.
Legally (although not necessarily correct) placed numbers
are shown in green, while illegal numbers are red. The
fixed numbers are grey.
Notes of possible numbers can be entered and show as
small digits in the squares.
One feature I miss from my usual Sudoku software (Green
Label Su Doku -- commercial software), is that there is
no indication, when for example, all the twos have been
placed. But that is the only fault I can find, with this
excellent software.
Your current game is auto saved and if you have finally
thrown up your hands in despair, that you will ever
complete a particular puzzle, there is a solve button to
end your torment.
Pure Sudoku is without a doubt the best freeware Sudoku
software that I have tested, with excellent controls, a
basic, but adequate help, a good range of difficulty
options and very pretty graphics.
If you would like to enhance your game further, there is
Pure Sudoku Deluxe, available for a modest $9.99. This
gives you three times as many backgrounds, a novice skill
level, the ability to print out puzzles and a useful
hints button.
Freeware -- Download size 8.49MB -- Win 2000, XP, Vista
http://www.veryfreesudoku.com/
Just
Sudoku Professional Edition v1.2
Just Sudoku has five puzzle difficulty levels, ranging
from very easy, to very hard. There is no mention of how
many puzzles are included, but version 1.0 had five
hundred puzzles, so there should be plenty.
Control is with the mouse, and numbers are inserted, by
clicking the appropriate number of times on a grid square.
I wasn't that impressed with this control system at first,
but soon found it to be an easy way to insert numbers.
You can delete a number by clicking to the empty space.
You can choose to play
using the traditional numbers, or if you are feeling
adventurous, there is the option to use letters, or a
large selection of symbols.
If you get stuck, the game will give you three hints and
you can save a partially completed game for later, or
even print it out to take with you. A timer runs while
solving the puzzle, giving a high score for each
difficulty level.
An unusual feature is the two player game, where both
players take turns inserting a number against the clock.
As you are both using the mouse, I can imagine that this
would lead to some pushing and shoving!
An integrated MP3 player is included, which is a nice
thought, but I found the scrolling status message to be
very distracting and had cover it with my spell check
window, so that I could concentrate on the puzzle.
Just Sudoku is pretty good, the shaded, stylized numbers
weren't to my taste, I prefer a simpler clearer display,
but overall it is quite playable. There is no help file,
but the controls are very intuitive and a tutorial
explains the basics of Sudoku.
Freeware -- Download size 2.13 -- Win 98, Me, 2000, NT,XP,
Vista
http://www.sudoku-puzzles.net/download.html
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