Puzzles Books

For the intermediate to advanced crossword puzzle enthusiast, look no further than these puzzles published by Simon and Schuster. Hundreds of hours of challenging puzzle fun, featuring themed crosswords! Several volumes are available - all time well spent.

This series has a great variety of challenging crossword puzzles. Perfect for killing time on a Sunday afternoon, but be prepared to think, they are not just easy puzzles. Nice selection of puzzles, defientely recommend for the price.

EXCELLENT I LIKE THE FACT THAT YOU CAN TEAR OUT A PAGE WITHOUT TEARING UP THE WHOLE BOOK

Like all the books in this series, these are serious puzzles. They make you put on your thinking cap. Great book

The SA2 Prima Guide is very helpful but is has a few mistakes in it. 1. Page 5 In the section Knuckles and Rouge Punch or Kick attack. They have a picture of Eggman instead of Knuckles. 2. Page 6 In the swimming section it shows Rouge using her treasure scope instead of swimming. 3. Page 39 For Mission 4 In Metal Harbor it says you have 5 minutes. This is not true you only have 2 minutes in the game.

This guide is great helped me alot to find those things that I just couldn't seem to be able to find as well as with the chaos I like giudes to help me get te full experience from a game and this one did.

I really liked this book.It follows the game of Sonic Adventure 2 very well.In the beginning, sonic is making his way down a down-hill slope, escaping some sort of military attack,and in the end,he has to do some more running escaping from a giant truck that takes up the entire road!!!!This book will keep you on the edge of your seat,folks!So, to all of you readers out there, this is a book you'll enjoy. Chow!!!

Very resourceful and complete. Detailed maps for each stages, hints, tips and boss explanations! Covers the Story, Characters, Controls, Hero Story, Dark Story and Last Story. Highly Recommended!! If you have Sonic Adventure 2 BUY THIS ITEM!

This is a great book for any Sonic Adventure owner. Extremely detailed and (as corny as it may sound) fun to read. It helped me beat the game.

Absolutely great! A little confusing with the maps. Very detailed and the best Sonic Adventure strategy guide that I've seen. Even includes information about the chao. Racing, caring and even a map showing the names of the different areas on the VMU for Chao Adventure! Also includes the places for the bullies. This strategy I would recommend out of all of the others!

This is a great book for any Sonic Adventure owner. It is very detailed and has great tips with roll-through maps of all the levels. It's the only way to get all the A emblems.

This is an excellent book. it has everything you need to finish the game. It also shows you all about the chao.

I recomend it to evryone.

This book is an interesting combination of both quality games and history. It traces the development of the soviet chess shool right from the times of petrov down to the big k`s. Has very interesting games from all the big soviet players like petrov,chigorin,botvinnik,tal,kasparov,karpov to mention a few. Makes an interesting commentary on their styles of play, tries to analyze their weakpoints and gives some excellent games with detailed analysis. Back in the 80`S when i first learnt chess, i found it one of the most intersting books which made me delve deeper into chess. Believe me, buy this book and i assure you that you wouldnt want to part with it for a fortune. One of the gems of the Mir publishers

For four decades - barring the brief intervention of Bobby Fischer - the Soviet Union dominated world chess and Russian grandmasters continue to lead the world even after the demise of the country they once represented. This is an account of the hegemony of the most powerful state-supported chess juggernaut ever created, written at the apex of Soviet success. The book outlines the triumphs achieved by the Stalin-inspired drive to establish the USSR as the planet's leading chess dynamo. This is a hymn to the socialist utopia in which the goal of sporting success in general and chess victory in particular replace religion as the opium of the masses. The Soviet School of Chess is the Bible which recounts this movement, written by two experts who were positioned at the very heart of this grandiose initiative. Alexander Kotov represented the USSR in two World Championship Candidates Tournaments and went on to become a senior official of the Soviet Chess Federation. Mikhail Yudovich was a chess journalist and Correspondence Chess Grandmaster.

the authors were at the very centre of the soviet chess programme and here they give thumbnail sketches of all the top russian champions and grandmasters as well as useful insights into the broader chess movement supported by the state which backed them up. the book is also valuable as an insight into soviet society and the type of conformism it demanded-for example petrosian is criticised for lack of fighting spirit-actually he had his own way of fighting and later became world chess champion.this edition is published by hardinge simpole press.

I would reccomend this book to anyone who is interested in studying and improving their chess. It gives a wonderfully interesting history of the soviet masters, with plenty of illustrative games. Then it also opens your eyes to the way that the top soviets increased their strength. I personally got more from this book than I did from the Think Like a Grandmaster series. afterwards i took a new look at the board in familiar opennings and thought of new ideas, and when I later did alittle research on them, I found that they were used by many of the top grandmasters of the 60's but have since gone out of fashion. the only reason that I didn't give it 5 stars, is cause comrad Kotov's voice gets on my nerves a little too much. I little bit too pro communism for my taste.

I had tried to learn the so-called "speed cubing" methods online and had been completely frustrated. Dan Harris lays it all out perfectly: it is very easy to follow and understand. That doesn't mean that the technique is all that easy to learn: with a massive amount of algorithms to memorize it will certainly be an undertaking of some months before you can claim complete mastery of the CFOP method.
The sections on the 2x2, 4x4, and 5x5 cubes are also very easy to follow. There is one typo that I found in the 5x5 chapter. The algorithms in Table 8.3, p125 are wrong: they are written (R r) U (R' r') U (R r) (U2 u2) (R' r') (R r) and (R2 r2) U (R2 r2) U (R2 r2) (U2 u2) (R2 r2). I spent a frustrating 10 minutes trying to figure out why I couldn't complete the centers. I found that the correct algoritms are (R r) U (R' r') U (R r) U2 (R' r') and (R2 r2) U (R2 r2) U (R2 r2) U2 (R2 r2).
At the end of the book there is also a chapter that has algorithms for all sorts of cool patterns that can be applied to an already finished cube.
This is a great book and no true Rubik's fanatic should be without it!

I taught myself much of the methodology outlined in this book by scrounging around the Internet for various algorithms, etc. Dan Harris' website ([...]) was instrumental in teaching me how to plan ahead, and he's used his skills at creating written tutorials for a very hands-on hobby to write an excellent book.

This book has several advantages over the way that most of us have had to learn our way around the cube. First, it's laid out in a linear fashion, so ideas are introduced to the reader in a very organized way, interspersed with lots of examples. Second, through the format of a published book, a comprehensive set of the many algorithms needed for a complete speedsolving solution are presented in a bound paper copy. This is perfect for someone who wants to carry the book and a cube in their backpack or messenger bag and keep notes about which algorithms are most comfortable, which have been committed to memory, etc. I bought this book specifically for Dan's great presentation of the last layer orientation algorithms, which I have yet to learn. Having all of the algorithms organized in such a thoughtful way, in a medium that I can easily carry with me is exactly what I've needed.

Great work, Dan!

This book seems best suited to people who already know how to solve the cube and who would like to find out how to improve their solutions. In my case, I hit a wall with my homebrew solution at about 60 seconds. While 1 minute solves are nice, it's not impressive in a world where a 20 second solve is not terribly competitive. This book seems to have the solution for that. It's too early to claim success, but what I've worked through so far is very good.

Would this book be suitable for a cubing novice? That's a tough call. The book does start from scratch teaching a basic solution, but I feel other resources online are a little clearer for the absolute beginner. However, a dedicated learner could work entirely from the book. Just keep in mind that pace is very quick, and the author doesn't do that much hand holding.

Would this book be suitable for an experienced speed cuber? That's hard to say, since I'm not in that category. If you follow another solving system, the book should be a very easy introduction to the authors strategy. I suspect that no matter where you are, you'll get a few new algorithms and tricks. There's also the 2x2x2, 4x4x4 and 5x5x5 solutions, which ought to provide additional value to the hardcore cuber.

This book is deceptively short. Although it weighs in at barely 160 pages, there's really a lot of content if you work through the material. It's taken a week to work through the first 50 pages, and that's just the intro material. I suspect it will be months, if not years, before I've even come close to exhausting what the book has to offer. In that regard, it's a tremendous value, and I can wholeheartedly recommend the book.

I think this book is very well written. Dan Harris clearly knows his way around a Rubik's cube. My favorite part of the book was the section on the history of the cube and the stats.

Even though the book is good, it is difficult to solve the cube without actually seeing someone do it. I learned how to solve the Rubik's cube from a YouTube video by Dan Brown. I think his YouTube user name is Pogobot.

Brandon Simpson

This box set gives you everything you need to know about Thay, Rashemen, and that area. If your considering this set take the chance it is well worth the money. There is actualy some power behind the wizards in this set, unlike many of the older sets(high levels). It is the best box set since Menzo!

At first I was reluctant to buy this box set. I didn't know much about Thay, Aglarond, or Rashemen from the Forgotten Realms Campaign Box so I decided to give it a try. My players loved it! The adventures were excellent and they gained almost 4 levels each! They became rich and had a good time doing it. The book even includes how to make a Red Wizard, Rashemar Witch, or a Rashemar Berserker for yourself. A must have for the Forgotten Realms.

When first I bought this expansion I bought it only for the two adventures (GREAT!!). After I read the campaign guide I couldn't believe what I found. I have found a source of information so interesting. Since then I only play in that region in the Forgotten Realms, and my players and I enjoy it even now after more than a year. I even made my own adventure through the campaign guide. Filled with the evil political planing of the Red Wizards the tough Rashmar and the mysterious Symbol of Aglarond. This one is for keeps!!

By far one of the best Forgotten Realms campaign expansions written. It tells in about Thay, Aglarond, and Rashemen, three of the most mysterious realms in Forgotten Realms. For 25 clams it is a good deal coming with a 128 page book on the featured realms, two maps of the area, a map of the capital of Thay, reference cards, a great 12 page monsterous compendium, and two complete adventures set in the Unapproachable east. One of the better buys in the Forgotten Realms line.

The Legends & Lairs series by Fantasy Flight focuses on D&D 3E.

I've checked out just about every major D&D 3E publisher's material. Fantasy Flight is one of the best out there. Why? Since d20 came out, many, many would-be game designers have started making products. Like any saturated market, only a few rise to the top as real stars. Publishers like Fantasy Flight, Malhavok Press, Swords & Sorcery, etc. are among the d20 stars. Fantasy Flight is very creative from cover to cover, and they have a really sound grasp of mechanics. That is a rare combination, especially the good mechanics.

Features of this book:
* Spells! Lots of cool spells for every spell-casting class. Almost all are well-balanced and stylish.
* (Magical) libraries, special spellbooks, laboratories.
* Rituals & ceremonies
* Wards
* Chaos magic
* Expanded familiars
* Places of magic (shrines, standing stones, etc.)
* Alchemy items & cool non-magical materials

DM's: This book will help (no matter how experienced you are) add flavor to all manner of magical goings on in your campaign, and that's usually a big part of most campaigns.

Players: Woe be unto the monster on the receiving end of some of these spells.

5 stars. One of the few products I've added (almost) in its entirety to my game. Almost forgot, check their website for errata -- it's already out.

Fantasy Flight Games scores big with this one. Subtitled "A Compendium of Mystic Lore," it is a treasure trove of magical options for D20 System gaming, which are mercifully NOT interlinked, allowing GMs to pick and choose what they like and what helps their campaigns.

The new spells range from the terribly useful (for example, a gradually enhanced spell series for restoring writings ranging from single documents to whole tomes) to the simply terrible (for example, "Burrowing Bony Digits," a Necromantic spell which sends forth up to five skeletal fingers to burrow their way into the bodies of targets who fail their Reflex saves, doing 1D6 impaling damage plus 1D6 additional burrowing damage for each three levels of the caster -- yecch!).

"The Craft of Magic" (one of my favorite parts) has sections on library construction, bookhunting (always necessary for that on-going Arcane research!), ideas for conducting magical research, constructing laboratories, new ideas for spell foci and components, and an extensive section on Bardic and Sorcerous magic, with new feats, PLUS a section on Ceremonial and Ritual Magic, both arcane and divine.

"New Types of Magic" introduced are "Ward Magic" (location-based enchantments used with "ward tokens" -- an idea once dealt with in "Volo's Guide to the North"), "Chaos Magic," "Cooperative Magic," and a long section on "Religion," dealing with new types of divine spell casters and "Small Gods," the "minor" deities which are so significant in the "real world" but which get such short shrift in gaming worlds. Also introduced is "Place Magic," the magic of arcane locations and nexuses of magical power, including religious shrines.

"The Mundane Made Magical" deals with Alchemy, Constructs, Magical Materials, and Familiars (with wonderful ideas on empowering them, making them finally WORTH the risk of having around). My favorite familiar must now be "the Grimoire," a tiny construct; suitably tinkered with, it is easily imagined as an autonomous, intelligent presence in the spellcaster's library, reading and interrogating other books to aid its master in research; I can readily imagine a canny sage having an entire library of mutually-referant books serving as so many processors in a library-sized magical "computer," with a Grimoire familiar as the interface!

"Magic Items" include Glyph Eggs (the weakest contribution of the book, in my opinion -- just another vehicle for storing magic spells) and Personal Growth Items (Open Gaming Content!), which are items which advance along with their owners, gaining powers and experience (and presumably becoming the original source of many magic items which may now be created with feats: before they were made as "created items," many had to "grow up" to be magical). There is also an Open Gaming Content section on Relics and the obligatory New magical Items section which every single D20 System book seems to have (although this one adds nine new Ioun Stone types).

"Spells & Spellcraft" is not an essential book, by any means, so I have only given it four stars, but, for those who like to play around with magic in their games, it is very, very, very fun and inspirational. I used someone else's copy for a while, but I simply had to buy one for myself so that I could access it whenever I wanted some quick inspiration on matters arcane. I give it a strong personal recommendation.

This is the third book I've purchased by Fantasy Flight Games. If Spells and Spellcraft is an indicator of the quality of the rest of their books, I think I'll be adding a few more of their titles to my collection.

First off, the spells are very creative and well balanced. None of them seemed too weak or too powerful for their level. The section on building constructs is great. It is very detailed and presents well thought out options for spell casters looking to build them.

The Glyph Eggs can be used as the D&D equivalent of Holy Hand Grenades and are a welcome, and somewhat humorous, addition.

All in all, Spells and Spellcraft is a wonderful addition to my d20 library.

This Book has many great additions to D&D 3rd. Ed. magic. The thing I enjoyed most was the new rules for creating your own magical constructs. The new feats are good, but there's not many of them. The spells are great! There are some that every magic useing charecter I make from now on will have them! There is also details on new types of magic. Take chaos magic for example. When you cast a chaos spell it replicates the effets of one of sereveral spells, choosen randomly. The new kind of magic items are great as well. Over all, this is a great additon to any third edition Dungeons and Dragons library.

To judge by this book and Cox's book on Alekhine's Defense, Cox is one of the very best opening book authors going. Defying the constraints of the dumbed-down "Starting Out" format, he usually manages to provide a quite decent view of theory, and I find his explanations lively and instructive. I'm hoping he writes more soon.

I see so many references in various reviews to GMs telling players that they shouldn't play main lines until they're 2000+, etc. I have never heard any strong player say this myself, but what they do say is that beginner-intermediate players shouldn't spend a lot of time on openings, which I agree with. This book is a nice compromise, because it gives you just enough theory to play main lines while not requiring that you spend hours memorizing moves. Lets be honest: there's not much risk in a 1500 player losing because they knew less theory in the Botvinnik than another 1500. Almost no 1500s know Semi-Slav theory! (The Dragon is another story, for some reason) As John Cox says, 'Bg5 is a good move, get it out there'. I couldn't agree more. I think his choices are wonderful because they don't just get you to a playable, even, middle game with white but rather give you a real chance for an advantage out of the opening (though I can't help but point out again how unimportant a +0.33 pawn opening advantage is below master level). This is good chess! Sharp lines, complicated positions, chances on both sides. Unless you're one of the myriad people on ICC who apparently took up chess just to play the Reversed Stonewall, try this book out. Both it's premise and it recommendations are ambitious, but you'll find both your ability and enjoyment of chess increase by playing some of the best systems chess has to offer. One of my few chess books that I would really regret not having.

This book, Starting Out 1 d4!, may be the best of all my opening books. Why is this? It is because this book provides a repertoire that can be counted on to get you a solid plus out of the opening. I have been duped more than once into buying a "win with the opening that always wins in 20 moves, yet it has escaped that notice of Kramnik and Ponomariov." As we all know, these books do not provide a good, let alone adequete reptoire. So then we search for and then buy book with a reliable repertore and find out that it has lines that are very easy to learn, but only bring you equality as white or the famous "chances for both sides" as black. What makes Starting Out 1 d4! different is that it actually gives you lines that are played by grandmasters. The bayonet attack for the King's Indian, the Botvinnik variation of the slav. But then the eternal question comes up: "aren't these lines designated for grandmasters who study chess 25 hours each day?"

"Yes."

Actually, the secret is that you actually won't be play Veselin Topalov very soon, so you can afford to know just a little theory and the main ideas of the opening. And that's what this book gives you. As we know from the back of every opening book in the world, knowing the ideas of your opening is the most important thing blah blah blah. This book, however, is one of the few that effectively teaches the ideas well. John Cox has written a book that should be popular with chess players for years to come. (And you should be one of the players it's popular with)

Finally, here's what the contents of the book are:

Bibliography, two pages

Introduction, four pages

Kings Indian, twenty-nine pages

Introduction, one page
The Bayonet Attack, six pages
The Fashionable 7...Na6, three pages
Alternatives to 7...Nc6 and 7...Na6, three pages
Black Avoids 6...e5, two pages
Illustrative Games, thirteen pages

The Grünfeld, twenty pages

Introduction, two pages
Black Swipes the a-pawn, four pages
Black Develops with ...Nc6, three pages
Black's Alternative Plans, three pages
Illustrative Games, seven pages

The Nimzo-Indian, twenty-five pages

Introduction, one page
Black Plays 4...d5, four pages
Black Plays 4...0-0, four pages
Black Plays 4...c5, two pages
The Zürich Variation, two pages
Illustrative Games, eleven pages

The Benoni and Benko, eighteen pages

Introduction, one page
The Modern Benoni, four pages
The Benko Gambit, three pages
Illustrative Games, nine pages

The Queen's Gambit Declined, twenty-one pages

Introduction, one page
The Exchange Variation with Nge2, three pages
Black Deviates from the Main Line, three pages
The Tarrasch Defence, five pages
Illustrative Games, eight pages

The Queen's Gambit Accepted, twenty pages

Introduction, two pages
Black Plays 7...b5, three pages
Black Forces an IQP, three pages
Other Defences to 7 Bb3, one page
Early Black Alternatives, three pages
Illustrative Games, seven pages

The Slav, twenty-five pages

Introduction, two pages
The Bishop Sacrifice, four pages
Black Plays 6 Ne5 Nbd7, five pages
Black Avoids Bf5, three pages
The ...a6 Slav, four pages
Illustrative Games, six pages

The Semi-Slav, twenty-five pages

Introduction, one page
The Botvinnik Variation, six pages
The Anti-Moscow Gambit, three pages
The Cambridge Springs, two pages
The Marshall Gambit, five pages
Illustrative Games, seven pages

The Albin and the Chigorin, ten pages

Introduction and Rare Defences, one page
The Albin Counter-gambit, two pages
The Chigorin, three pages
Illustrative Games, three pages

The Dutch, fifteen pages

Introduction, one page
The Classical, three pages
The Stonewall, two pages
The Leningrad, three pages
Illustrative Games, five pages

Rare but Tricky Tries, fifteen pages

The Budapest, two pages (a quarter of a page on the Fajarowicz Gambit, which is perhaps a bit lacking)
The Modern, two pages
Black Plays 1...d6, two pages
Black Plays 1...e6, two pages
Miscellaneous, one page (Includes 1...Nc6, 1...e5, 1...c5 2 d5 f5, 1...b5, The Vulture and the Tango)
Illustrative Games, five pages

Index of Variation, four pages

Index of Complete Games, two pages

I suppose that the argument against lower rated players playing grandmaster level moves holds some weight. Obviously, a book that introduces you to the main lines of current theory is bound to fall short in terms of coverage. And, since you will be playing current theory you will also have to keep up with changes in it. Cox makes a good case for an advantage in many lines but I find it interesting that in several places that advantage is very minimal (just as if you had played some supposedly inferior variation) or, more to the point, the position is advantageous for White but you have to be a darned good player to understand what is going on. Also, what lines are you missing? I compared Cox's pages on the Zurich variation of the Nimzo-Indian (1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 Qc2 Nc6)to Alburt, Dzindzi, Perel.'s Chess Openings for Black Explained since they recommend the variation for Black. Interestingly, Cox had 5 Nf3 d6 6 Bd2 0-0 7 a3 Bxc3 8 Bxc3 Qe7 9 e4 e5 10 d5 Nb8 11 Be2 Nh5 12 Nxe5 but then gives 12...Nf4 as the move for Black rather than the surprising 12...Nf6 in COFBE. If I didn't own COFBE I would never have known about this. So, many master players would tell you to stay away from these lines. I listened to these arguments but bought the book anyway. I was curious but also a bit disatisfied with some of my current repertoire. Maybe I would get some new ideas?

If you are familiar with the quality found in most Starting Out books you will find that it is written like many of the others. The skull and crossbone warnings call attention to important information, there are typically at least two diagrams on each page,and the author cites recent games and ideas doing an admirable job of covering a lot of ground in a short space. The quality of writing is at least as good as the others in the series. I own nine others. I have tried playing all of the lines in the book over a period of four months now. In the end I had some difficulty playing the Slav (that positional concession with a4 just bugs me) and Grunfeld (give up a pawn? - oh my!)lines. Nobody at my level plays the Benko much so I can't say anything about it. I was most impressed with the Anti-Albin lines. I keep coming up against that Morozevich move 5...Nge7 and I think that Cox's "minimalist" approach (6 Nb3 Nf5 7 e4)is easy to play if you like those small advantages in the ending. The two or three pages on this were actually worth the price of the book since in online blitz I see a lot of the Albin. O.K. so I'm not convinced that I should be playing ALL of the lines in the book but I have found many of them quite useful and understandable as an amateur. My opening play has improved by incorporating some of the lines here into my repertoire. I think it is simply a mistake to use a repertoire "off the shelf" anyhow. You have to find the things that work for you. Of course, I also now have a better understanding of what I am avoiding when I choose some less theoretical line.

So if you are an amateur player like myself who has been playing the "simple" stuff for a while and you want to start playing some of the sharper lines in a few openings then this is a good book to start with. If you are getting good positions with your Richard Palliser Play 1 d4! lines then, by all means, keep playing them. If you don't think of this as a standard repertoire book but more like a survey of, in the author's onw words "where the world's best are presently fighting it out to establish whether White can obtain real winning chances in the opening", then you won't be disappointed.

This is primarily about the closed French and closed Siclian defenses, from white's perspective, (about 140 pages). The last 60 pages is about the reversed King's Indian opening. If your primary interest is playing 1. Nf3 as white, this is probably not the book you are looking for.

If you like opening with 1. e4, and want a systematic response when your opponent does not reply with 1. ... e5, then this is a good book for you. You will have a system of play that does not require learning the vast variations of the open French and Sicilian defenses.

Also, you will have in hand the 1. Nf3 opening, in case you want to change things up a bit with a secondary opening as white.

The book is well written and illustrated, the level of detail is suitable for the beginning or intermediate player. It assumes a basic knowledge of the game beyond just knowing how the pieces move.

I am enjoying the book and I think it is a good mix of theory and real games. I am an expert rated player, but I think the book is accessible to lower rated players that want to learn a new opening family.

This is a well organized and easy to understand book for players at all levels. Whether you want to play the KIA or want a better line against an opponent, this volume does the job.

Written by British chess Grandmaster John Emms, Starting Out: King's Indian Attack is an in-depth guide for intermediate to advanced chess players to the King's Indian Attack, a favorite chess strategy of the legendary Bobby Fischer, among others including world-class Grandmaster Alexander Morozevich. Starting Out: King's Indian Attack studies the fundamental principles of this tactic and its numerous lines. A wealth of notes, tips, warnings, suggestions, sample games and diagrams serve to enlighten the average player on the strengths and weaknesses of using or defending against this strategy. Highly recommended for any dedicated chess player seeking to improve his or her game against experienced opponents.

I am almost finished with this book. I've been nibbling away at it for a long time and am asking for another copy for Christmas so I can start the fun all over again. The size of the book is perfect and the paper quality is perfect. All the puzzles are interesting and challenging, unlike The Essential Book of Su Doku, Volume 2 (Don't waste your money on that one - even the level 5's are boring to do!) I do wish this author/publisher would put out another one like it.

I got my dad hooked on this first, then I started SuDoku. I bought both of us this book & I just finished it & I NEED more. I have been looking on line to order something like this book but have not found what I am looking for just yet. This is by far, the best book out there. Bring on Volume 4!!!

This is the best book of harder sudoku that I've seen. The puzzles appear to be hand-created, unlike the randomly created junk found in some other books. In many difficult puzzles, the solver is reduced to penciling in possibles fairly early on, then searching through lots of tiny numbers for clues. In this book that's rarely necessary (and least in Levels 1-4, which is as far as I've gotten.) The book has a nice small format, and the paper is very white and of excellent quality. All in all, highly satisfactory!

Level 1 of this book is like level 5 on the Vol 1 book of the same title. I can only solve about half of the level 5s in this book. These puzzles are excellent for those who have mastered the medium and hard level puzzles in most newspapers. But be warned, these are hard compared to vol. 1. I can't wait for the next advanced one. I may even buy a second copy of Vol. 3 since I don't remember the answers anyway!