Even More Puzzling

I've gone through phases of being addicted to certain puzzles. I've been off of crosswords for a long time now, mostly because for some reason, I no longer get that great feeling of accomplishment when I complete one—and I also find it annoying when I can't complete one just because I don't know one or two pieces of arcane information or trivia. I prefer a puzzle that can be completed regardless of what you do or don't know, like sudoku or Set. Even if you get stuck, it's not because you don't know the name of a tributary in Romania or the middle name of the third king of Persia—and, more importantly, you can get unstuck if you just persevere. As I've mentioned before, I also love a good acrostic, which is a very creative form of wordplay that yields a "reward": a quote and the author's name!

My sudoku fever has subsided somewhat; I no longer do several a day, but I still do them now and again—as long as I can find a hard-enough one, that is! I'm still working my way through the different varieties in my new book. Then Verbatim reader B.O.B. casually mentioned the weekly puzzle in the Boston Phoenix, a free alternative newspaper that I used to read regularly but hadn't picked up in years. I saw one recently and grabbed it, eager to turn to the puzzle in the back, created by someone with the ominous moniker Psycho Sudoku. Oh. My. God. It was the hardest puzzle I've ever done. It was called a Sum Sudoku, and by the time I'd erased my way through several holes in the paper, I discovered that it's also available online, so I printed it out. Three times. For some reason, the answer link didn't work, though, which I discovered when I wanted to check on my answers to see if I was on the right track. But after many tries, I finally got it! I've since gone back and found lots of other past puzzles to print out; I especially like the Sum Sudoku and the Kakuro (the two math varieties).

Over the years, I've occasionally visited the Daily Puzzles page but never got hooked. Lately, though, I've been doing the Secret Word and Secret Number puzzles every day, without fail, right after I finish the Set puzzle. Gotta keep those brain cells active!

Comments

[Kirsty]

Over here 'sum sudoku' is called 'killer sudoku' and I went through a real phase of doing those just before Christmas. I'm back on regular sudoku again at the moment.
I get a little sudoku puzzle book every month and do a few (or one, depending on the level of difficulty) every night before I go to sleep.
As a result, an association between sleep and sudoku has been formed in my brain.

[Naomi]

When I did Sweeney Todd at the New Rep, we were *addicted* to SET and played religiously in the green room. The ensemble has an hourlong break in the middle of the first act, and at matinees we would play SET until intermission, then order our sushi for the break between shows. Those were the days...