Sunday, June 28, 2009

Now Available! Sudoku in USA Today

Sudoku Jigsaw PuzzleImage by r.j.wagner via Flickr

To be entertained…to be fascinated…these are emotional circumstances you wish you are in everyday. With the arising dilemmas from around you, you cannot drive yourself to not think of negative thoughts. Every little thing seems to be on television, over the radio, via the internet and even the newspaper.

Newspapers are provided for people who wish to be updated of society’s current events. People who wish to be informed read the newspaper. However, nowadays it is not just information-gathering that newspaper bring. Some individuals read the newspaper to be entertained.

USA Today is a national newspaper in America. It is one of the widely circulated newspapers catering to millions of American residents. Like any newspaper, it has a complete section from the front page until the sports page. Entertainment and Life sections of course will never be gone from the everyday circulation.

The entertainment section of USA Today consists of news regarding travel tips, movie, television programs, book, and music reviews. Life section on the other hand consists of stories involving lifestyle and living. Games, comic strips, and puzzles are also accessible in the Life Section of USA Today.

Puzzles are games not only for entertainment purposes but for sharpening one’s mind. It requires in-depth thought of approaches to solve any given puzzle game. Additionally, it entails a lot of patience to discern what’s needed to be done.

One mind-boggling puzzle is Sudoku or commonly called the Number Place. Sudoku is a number assignment game. From a nine by nine (9 x 9) grid which is composed of three by three (3 x 3) regions; the player should be able to enter a digit from numbers 1 to 9 without repetitions.

Availability of Sudoku is everywhere – from crossword puzzle books, magazines, internet, television game shows, and of course, the newspaper.

At this time, USA today has been publishing Sudoku in their crossword page to give their readers a chance to experience the beauty and mind-intensity of playing the Number Place. People can just grab a pen and a paper once a copy of USA Today has been delivered to their homes or offices.

One possible disadvantage of playing with the use of newspaper is the use of space. Since playing the game requires the use of different strategies, there will be players who will find space a problem in marking up since the grid or regions created in the newspapers are rather small cubes.

The availability of Sudoku in USA Today does not only run in its newspaper. USA Today has its own website where people who wants to play the game can do so online.

People can now play Sudoku online since USA Today has its own website that caters online puzzle games. Some advantages to playing the puzzle online are:
• Unlike playing Sudoku using pen and paper which requires you to check with a Solution paper, with online playing you will just tick the Check button and the right answers will instantly show.
• Erasures are easy to deal with whenever one is playing online since there is the Undo button which immediately makes necessary corrections.
• Flagging incorrect items are possible when you play online. This is best for starters as well as children.
• If using help, like phoning a friend or peeping in the Solution sheet is present whenever you use pen and paper, hints are all over online, though for the integrity of the game it is best to exhaust all your methods and efforts.
• With USA Today’s website you will never run out of Sudoku puzzles so you can enjoy solving more.
• Time-keeping is optional. There are players who want to be pressured by time. Others wish to let go of time. Online playing of Number Place can give you both options.
• The level of difficulty will be measured when one decides to play online. Newspaper puzzles are often jumbled – some are easy, some are not.
• An option to display number which appeared nine times can be chosen. Pen and paper Sudoku playing requires manual tracking.

There are so many ways to be entertained…to be fascinated…just make sure to choose well what will keep you busy…pick out something that will not just take off boredom but also something that will nourish your mind.

Play Sudoku in USA Today – either with a pen and paper or online!
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