Sudoku - The Hottest Puzzle Craze Since Rubik's Cube

Sudoku is the addictive number puzzle that has taken the UK by storm and is now taking over the rest of the world. Since it first appeared in The Times in late 2004 its popularity has grow so that it appears in most UK newspapers and has spread to countries from India to Canada, Australia to South Africa. So what is Sudoku all about? Sudoku is played on a nine by nine grid which is divided into nine smaller squares. The object of the puzzle is to fill in the digits from 1 to 9 so that it appears only once in each column, row and small three by three square. You are given some of the numbers and you have to use logic and deduction to find the position of the other numbers. Simple? Well, it depends! A Sudoku puzzle can vary from easy to absolutely fiendish. Certainly the more numbers you are given to start off with, the easier the puzzle, but it also depends on which ones the puzzle setter offers. Traditionally there should be no more than 30 numbers given. Sudoku first appeared in a US puzzle magazine in the late 1970s, but was then picked up by Japanese publisher Nikoli who dubbed it Su Doku or