5 comments about Life Picture Puzzle: Can You Spot the Differences? (box set).

1. I have bought all of the picture puzzle books and love giving them for gifts. There is not an age group, gender, or personality type that has not enjoyed them. Great for traveling, waiting rooms, or coffee table. I bought the whole series for my friends 5th grade class room; she "lets the kids play with them as rewards". The kids beg to play! You or the intended receiver of gift will not be disappointed. 100% guarantee A+++++



2. These puzzles are very addictive and fun. I would recommend them to anyone. They also help you look at photography in a much different way. As an amateur photographer and digital artist it really helps to hone in on detail.



3. 
   I purchased the box set for someone who enjoys these puzzles in magazines and they were thrilled with it. Enough to keep all age levels busy for a long time!



4. When I purchased this item, it came at the time that it was said to come. When I gave it to my friend, he was like AWESOME. He loved the diffrent levels from novie to genius levels and the timing feature on this made it fun for himself as well as others that competed with him and that was just the first book out of 3 that were included. A good deal for the price. He also loved looking at all the different pictures. They were from all over the world and some of them very funny to look at. Another friend saw it and said, Wow, that's a really nice gift.



5. These picture puzzles are great. They are very challenging and fun. It would have been nice if they told you that there were 3 books in the set and listed the names of the books that were included since I already had a few of the Time Life Picture Puzzle books. Overall I was very pleased with my purchase.

2 comments about All About the States: Search-a-Word Puzzles.

1. This is a great book for anybody in grades 2-5 and wants to know more about their states, and of course, loves crossword puzzles.



2. I homeschool ALL my 7 kids (4 are through college & grown, 3 remain, ages 9 -15) My 9 year old is in Algebra 1, & my 15 year old is in Calculus & physics, so they keep me going looking for ways to incorporate "learning" new info or reviewing "past" studies, without it being sooooo dry & boring! Let's face it some things just are tedious!! You would be surprised at the people who cannot name all the states! So this is a remarkably refreshing way to "review" or learn the States, almost effortlessly! A friend suggested this book, & we were very pleased with the results!! Give it a try, you should be delighted, as was I! I just left it in trhe bathroom & REMOVED their current issue of "outdoorLife" Ha Ha, they actually had NO other choice, but to peruse or NOT!!!! :-)

5 comments about New York Post Fiendish Sudoku: The Official Utterly Addictive Number-Placing Puzzle.

1. This is the first Su Doku I've found that I cannnot do. Says it is intuitive, well, as far as I can tell it's just plain hard. I've not been able to finish one all the way with out a peek for at least 2 answers. Unless you are really into this and want to spend hours, do not waste your time or money.



2. Went through various books that were supposed to be hard, but they don't hold a candle to this book. While some books have a few puzzles that require a good deal of thought, all the puzzles in this book require a great deal of thought...
   
   If you are just starting out I would recommend one of his New York Post books. If you have a problem working 5 star puzzles online then this book may be a little much.... but if you want a real challenge this book is for you! And after you've worked one... you will feel the rush!
   
   Dear Mr. Gould, Can we have a second fiendish book? Please!



3. I purchased the book for my friend who easily completed puzzles categorized as difficult in booklets found at supermarkets and discount stores. There were never enough difficult puzzles to keep her busy or challenged so much of each booklet was useless. She is delighted with this sudoku booklet and while she can complete the puzzels it does take some time and provides an adequate challenge. She is happy and I am too! Well worth the price.



4. If you want challenge you should get this one. It's real fiendish! However, among the puzzles in the book there are some that are harder and some are a little easier... but still fiendish. I love it. I hope I will be able to find another one this good when I'm done with this one.



5. I have to admit that I do love Wayne Gould's puzzles, which is why I bought this book sight unseen. Being an addict of very difficult sudoku (or "Su Doku", as he calls them), I looked forward to his worst. This is written after solving the first half.
   
   Mr. Gould is of the solving school that thinks marking up the puzzle gets in the way of good solving. He challenges the solver to find his carefully hidden clues, all of which can be found without marking up -- if you have a better memory for numbers than I have. This is great fun, and I appreciate and enjoy the challenge. The downside is that for people who like REALLY hard (grid coloring, logic chains), these puzzles are not fiendishly hard.
   
   I highly recommend this book to those who are trying to learn how to solve very difficult puzzles that can be solved by traditional techniques. It is filled with interesting and varied puzzles, and you will find some much harder than others because they test different solving methods. For an advanced solver, it is certainly much more fun than the average book.

5 comments about Mensa Absolutely Nasty Sudoku Level 4 (Mensa).

1. Mostly very tough puzzles, that (like book #3) lived up to the books' name. We're very happy to have bought #3 and #4.
   
   Question, does Mr Longo know there are duplicate puzzles in #4?
   #69 is duplicated in 75, 82, 95, 99, 119, and 127.
   #134 is duplicated in 202.



2. These are some really, really challenging sudoku. It would be nice in the next edition if we could have some descriptions on how to solve using the more complicated techniques. It would also be nice if the answers included reference to which of the more difficult techniques were used to solve them.



3. As someone who searches for seriously difficult sudoku, I love this book. The puzzles are all very hard, but still require a variety of solving methods, some of which I find approachable, and others of which are truly painful, at least for me. I agree with another reviewer that it would be nice to have "speaking" solutions, that is, solutions that explain how the puzzle was solved, but solving methods vary so much by player that this is probably only a dream. There are truly no linear solution methods, which is what makes sudoku so attractive.
   
   Compared to the many other books that claim to offer very hard sudoku, this one stands way out as telling it like it is.
   
   I criticised the "Mensa Guide" book for its fragile binding and tiny grids, so I have to award big points for the spiral binding and large grids of this book.



4. This is the only Sudoku book I've found where I can't do over half of the puzzles without notes. So if you want to tax your brain a bit and know about Gordian Polygons then this is the sudoku book to buy. Makes the "black belt" and "ultimate ninja" books look easy by comparison. Still all logic and no guessing required.



5. I enjoy this book, but strongly suggest not buying it unless you have exhausted/outgrown the other Sudoku books. This is the hardest book I have found by far. I didn't work through levels 1 - 3 (probably should have). The next hardest book I have is "Even Higher Sudoku". The latter might be good to try before moving on to this book.

No comments about Life: Picture Puzzle Animals.

5 comments about The Cube: Keep the Secret.

1. This book was fun and informative. I cubed myself and all my family members. It really was accurate. But, once you use it and know the secret you can't play again, so I passed mine along to my sister and she cubed her friends and passed it on. It is really interesting to see what other people pick for their items, especially after you already know the secret yourself. It is worth buying, but you might already know someone who has the book and would be willing to let you use it.



2. I learned of the cube from a friend, who helped me through the exercise. I have done it for myself and for friends multiple times since. "Knowing the secret" (which frankly I think is a ridiculous way of putting it) only ruins it for you if you believe it does. Don't limit yourself, you can play this game again and again. As you change, your answers may change too, giving you new insight into yourself and your path. I do think it is a much more organic experience to do the cube person to person, rather than using the book. Just like reading Tarot is better without referring to the manual. I wish you peace and harmony on your journey.



3. We had fun with this and now keep it out in the living room to grab people's attention and let them in on the fun.



4. Great book but you should grab it quick! Otherwise too many people will have play it before you do. And the game can be played once. What a pity! I believe this game can be extended.................



5. This is an incredible short trip into knowing yourself and looking at your own personality from the different dimension.It is a great tool to find out more about your mates or family, as it subtly reveals their personality, without them knowing it. A lot of fun! Recommend it.

5 comments about Killer Sudoku 1: The Deadly New Dimension.

1. In my opinion, Killer Sudoku puzzles are much more fun and satisfying to solve than regular Sudoku puzzles because of the added complexity of the sums and the various techniques that can be employed to solve them. "Killer Su Doku 1: The Deadly New Dimension" contains 110 puzzles of which there are 17 Gentle, 30 Moderate, 42 Tricky, 16 Tough, and 5 Deadly puzzles. Each puzzle has a suggested time to beat. There is also a two-page "Guidelines for Solving Killer Su Doku".
   
   I didn't find the guidelines for solving to be particularly useful. They give a quite minimal explanation of how to solve these types of puzzles and leave out explanations of some of the more important techniques for solving, such as the 45 Rule. (Steve Arons book, "The Official Book of Killer Sudoku" contains a much more comprehensive introduction.)
   
   Regarding the suggested times, I didn't specifically time myself, but I often noticed that I took much less or much more time than what was suggested. As for difficulty, I found that sometimes a puzzle in a given section was either much harder or much easier than what was implied. The puzzles in the Deadly section were no more difficult than the ones in the Tough section. The hardest puzzles in the book are 78, 98, and 105. I eventually figured out some interesting equations and relational techniques for solving 78 and 98. (Whew, that was fun!) Puzzle 105 is the only one that I have not yet managed to solve.
   
   This brings me to a recommendation for the Solutions section. In general, I find the solutions in the backs of Sudoku books to be useless. If I finish a puzzle and it conforms to the rules then it's correct; otherwise it's wrong. I don't need a solution to tell me that. The only time I look at the solution is occasionally when I'm doing a really difficult puzzle and I want to check an intermediate result to make sure I'm on the right track so I don't end up having to erase the entire puzzle and start over. This also helps to instantly understand what type of mistake I made. Something that would be really helpful in the solutions for the really difficult puzzles would be to show a partially solved grid and an explanation of how to get to the next step.
   
   On the whole I found this book to be very enjoyable and highly recommend it for any Killer Sudoku fan. Publisher, another one please!



2. I do enjoy regular Sudoku. But there are a couple of problems with it. First, while it uses numbers, it in no way uses the properties of numbers. Second, the level of effort to solve such puzzles is generally uneven; you may get a few numbers early, but then it gets very tough, and soon after that it is easy again. When it is tough, you may have to write down possible values in a square or guess, and that's unsatisfying compared to being able to simply write down correct numbers in blank squares.
   
   With Killer Sudoku, one does get to use the additive properties of numbers, so there really is a difference between the symbols! And the level of effort is more nearly even. In addition, even hard puzzles generally can be solved without writing anything down but the answers. It is my favorite Sudoku variant ("Greater than Killer Sudoku" is my second favorite).
   
   This book is about at the right level. Do not be scared by the "deadly" puzzles at the end, as I found them to be easier than some of the earlier ones.
   
   I recommend this book to all those who enjoy a challenge and have some time on their hands.



3. If your bored of Sudoku and not finding the standard puzzles challenging you need to try these out. The page layout of this book is good there is ample room to write your number combinations and there are suggested times for each puzzle. The paper used in the book is softer but stands up fine to an eraser.



4. I ran into Killer Sudoku accidentally, and became hooked ever since. The (simple addition and subtraction) math involved adds a new dimension to the puzzle. Unlike the standard Sudoku, Killer Sudoku puzzles have more twists and surprises waiting to be explored. The more difficult puzzles in this book are very satisfactory in harboring many pleasant and exciting ones.
   
   The books contain 110 puzzles of 5 levels. When you advance to the last two level, your skill and fun are elevated as well. I guess after you mastered the game, you may want to get books with only difficult ones (and they should be so published). One nice thing about this book is that the puzzles seem to have been tested, and there is a 'par' time for each one of them. For easy one the pars are ten to 20 minutes, and the hardest ones up to 90 minutes. These par times are pretty good in that I tended to exceed them in the beginning, but after I have advanced to high levels and came back to do some easier ones that I skipped I often beat the par. The time competition factor also is a way to enjoy the easy ones.
   
   Highly recommended for going through the levels and mastering the game. If you are looking only for tough Killer Sudoku books, this one contains about 20 very good ones.



5. I encountered Killer Sudoku in a Will Shortz sudoku variants book and became hooked on it, and this is a great book of it. It allows you to move between a variety of solving techniques taken from both regular Sudoku and Kakuro. The puzzles here come in a good variety of solving difficulty, with enough easy ones for you to practice your techniques on, and enough challenging ones that you won't get bored.

5 comments about Sudoku Easy to Hard Presented by Will Shortz, Volume 3: 100 Wordless Crossword Puzzles (Sudoku Easy to Hard).

1. It is a good size book. I have bought a smaller book of sudoku, and gets too messy when you write numbers around the square.



2. Will Short is our family's favorite author on Sudoku's. This series of books from him is the best for taking in the car, etc. as it's compact yet the puzzles are big enough for writing.



3. This is an entertaining book. Shortz is the best when it comes to puzzles of any type. I eagerly await future books.



4. This is one of the first books I tried when first learning to do Sudoku puzzles. It is an excellent one, with good sized puzzles, somewhat difficult for a novice, but that is the challenge! I would definitely recommend it!



5. You have to think so it's a good thing and something to entertain and or keep you occupied especially on long trips.

2 comments about Will Shortz Presents Ferocious Sudoku: 200 Hard Puzzles (Will Shortz Presents).

1. These puzzles aren't as hard as I had hoped, but are better than most books. Well worth it, and will pass the time as desired.



2. This book gives you 100 "difficult" puzzles and 100 "very challenging" puzzles. Although there's no official grading system for Sudoku puzzles, I've done about half the puzzles in this book and I would say those descriptions are accurate. The "difficult" puzzles are hard enough to make me think but not so hard that I've had to use notations to solve them, and the "very challenging" puzzles usually require me to make notations and I've even gotten hung up on a couple of them.
   
   The book is big enough so that the puzzles can be easily read yet small enough that it will fit in your laptop case. It's also very fairly priced for the number of puzzles you get.

5 comments about So You Think You're Smart: 150 Fun and Challenging Brain Teasers.

1. Your puzzles are great! We're having so much fun with them. You are so creative



2. So You Think You're Smart: 150 Fun And Challenging Brain Teasers compiled by Pat Battaglia is an eclectic collection of queries and riddles to boggle the mind, from sports trivia to word games to graphical puzzles. Each conundrum has hints and solutions, written in reverse to avoid casual reading yet easily looked up with the aid of a small paper-thin mirror that doubles as a handy bookmark. Ideal for parties or simple personal enjoyment, So You Think You're Smart is enthusiastically recommended as a fun and engaging selection of riddles to challenge readers of all educational backgrounds.



3. Fantastic book and THE most prompt service I have ever received from a publisher.
   Very much appreciated!!! You won't be disappointed with ordering this selection.



4. Yes, Pat Battaglia, has produced yet another fascinating, challenging, stimulating, and sometimes downright maddening mind bender of a book. We found it to be of immense fun to work our way through it as a small group. It often makes you ask yourself, "how dumb can you really be?" but even so, it is loads of fun and entertainment. It is just about right for those searching for a challenging word exercise that is moderately difficult and with sometimes infuriatingly obvious answers for those who find themselves a bit stumped along the way. Highly recommended for good, clean fun!



5. I was expecting a book of puzzles that were more mathematically based. When I think of word puzzles, I think of a mathematical problem in which the question uses words.
   
   Here is an example of a puzzle in this book: "Corresponding to each word or phrase given below is another word, similar in meaning, which is also the name of an animal. EXAMPLE: lifting device ANSWER: crane"
   
   To me, this is more like a crossword puzzle book, you just don't have to fit your answers into a crossword puzzle template.
   
   If you like this type of puzzle, then there are a lot of word "teasers" in here for you. If you are looking for a brain teaser book to challenge the mathematical side of your brain, there are probably better books out there.