The Jumbo Book of Japanese Puzzles

Book excerpt: We are living in puzzling's golden age right now." --Will Shortz, New York Times A colossal assortment of the six most popular Japanese puzzles--Sudoku, Sodoku X, Kakuro, Masyu, Hitori, and Nurikabe--ranging in difficulty from gentle to diabolical. A collection of four hundred puzzles-six different types of mind-bending games-ranging in difficulty levels so that players of every level will be challenged. Features include a complete answer key along with short, illustrated tutorials for each game-which proves particularly useful for the less familiar challenges, including: * Hitori: The ultimate logic teaser. Begin with a complete Sudoku grid and the object is to "paint" out blocks so that no number appears twice in any row or column. * Masyu: A charming but sophisticated invention where you are required to "string" black-and-white "pearls" with a series of vertical and horizontal lines that form a continuous loop. * Nurikabe: Beginning with a grid of squares scattered with numbers seemingly placed at random, the idea is to paint the black squares to make walls, leaving patches of white behind.