Good puzzles; however, book has some annoyances.

books:


	• Will Shortz Presents Summertime Pocket Kakuro (Will Shortz Presents...) St. Martin's Paperbacks, 2006 - 192 pages average customer review:based on 3 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

Good puzzles; however, book has some annoyances.

This collection of kakuro contains 150 puzzles ranging from difficulty levels "light and easy" to "beware! very challenging." I go through phases of doing tons of kakuro to doing none at all and this book definately has a lot to offer even the starting kakuro solver. There is a nice combinations table at the beginning of the book for those of us that like to have the possible combinations given instead of trying to figure them all out. The table provides all possible combinations for numbers and clues that have only one or two solutions (i.e. 11: 1, 2, 3, 5 and 12: 1, 2, 3, 6; 1, 2, 4, 5). The few other books I have encountered have only show the clues that have only one possible solution. That is one of the reasons I got this book.

I am annoyed with some aspects of this collection. Some of the puzzles have starting numbers already filled in the puzzle. I have no idea why this is; but I wish it was completely empty. I also don't like the fact that the clue number boxes are colored in. It makes it difficult to quickly read the number. Finally, the paper quality is not optimal and easily rips or tears with a sharp pencil. I have found that if you place scotch tape over the entire puzzle it makes it more sturdy and you can easily erase pencil from the tape. It also seems that there are more easier level puzzles and fewer of the harder difficulty levels, which may trouble some more advanced puzzlers. Of course, if you are starting out, this book contains 65 of the easiest difficulty levels.

Overall, this is a nice book if you can get over the small things mentioned (or if those things do not bother you). Good luck!

for more information click here

More portable than other puzzle books

The size is smaller and more convenient for travel than some of the other puzzle books, but is PACKED with hours and hours of fun. If you haven't discovered the number puzzle craze yet--- you can start here!

For sudoku fans looking for a new puzzle to delight and challenge them, Will Shortz, the crossword editor of The New York Times and America?s puzzlemaster, presents kakuro. If you?ve never tried these deceptively simple-looking puzzles, get set: Millions of puzzlers around the globe are already hooked! The object is quite simple: Place a single digit from 1 to 9 in each white square of a crossword-like grid. A clue number, shown in a shaded square, represents the sum of the digits to be placed in the white squares to the right of it (for an Across answer) or beneath it (for a Down answer). No digit is repeated within an answer. Like sudoku, kakuro is a crossword puzzle using numbers. The only skills needed to solve a kakuro puzzle are addition and subtraction (no other math), and a good sense of logic. So pick up your pencil and get ready to see if you can kakuro!

for more information click here