Carol Vorderman's Sudoku - Sony PSP

Carol Vorderman, an amiable UK television personality, introduces us to the game of Sudoku with step-by-step video tutorials that are easy to understand, and she even shows a sample puzzle from start to finish. As the player increases their skill, additional tutorials from Carol can provide advanced gameplay tips.There are tools to assist as the player gets their feet wet: The "Assists" mode can set up pencil marks, inform the player if any Sudoku rules have been broken, and it will even point out errors as the player progresses.While doing the puzzles, the player has the option to listen to some music. It's the same loop of "Sudoku Elevator Muzak" repeated ad infinitum and there's no other choice...it's either Muzak or silence.For some odd reason, the career mode of gameplay is in a martial arts ranking system. As the player progresses, a black belt can be earned, and Carol's expertise can be challenged in advanced gameplay modes.There are co-operative modes, but since the game of Sudoku is usually a solo activity, the average gamer will probably never use these.The description of the PSP button control is curiously incomplete both in the game instructions and the boxed instructions, but with a little trial and errror, one can figure out how to use the interface. The instruction manual gives a "print & play" option on the main menu, but this is not in the game anywhere. The "Sudoku Solver" option suggests that Carol can help to solve any Sudoku puzzle, but when this is selected, it opens up a blank Sudoku grid where numbers can be randomly entered and an optional puzzle solution can be chosen. This looks like a feature that never got completed.So what's the final verdict?It's pretty clear that Carol Vorderman cashed in on having her face and name appear on the cover of the box, the instruction manual, and the game menus. Her visage and voice are an enjoyable introduction to the world of Sudoku - most other PSP Sudoku games are very bland and offer little to no assistance in learning basic or advanced tactics.Some other reviewers have commented that this is not a choice for die hard Sudoku players, and I tend to agree. The incomplete & misleading instructions also diminish the final product.However, if you have a PSP and you're looking to understand what's all the rave about Sudoku, this is a great way to get hooked.

Happy with my purchase. The game works with my old PSP (2001). The Sudoku puzzles are challenging enough on the four different levels. Easy is pretty easy and most beginners would be able to do them. Haven't viewed any of the video tutorials, but did watch the short video on the history of Sudoku. The controls of the game is a bit clunky, but that more an issue with the PSP itself - the game uses the arrow keys to move to each cell and then after selecting the cell, you use the arrow keys to move to the number you want to put into that cell. I messed up and put in a number by mistake, and then replaced that number with the right one. You don't have to delete a number like some games have you do. There is some background music and sound effects, but you can turn them off in the Options menu. The music is somewhat generic new-age sort of tune. Has kept me entertained so I'm happy with it. I've only played it in single-player mode.

In case you didn't know, the attractively clad woman on the cover is Carol Vorderman, a 50-year-old quiz gameshow host in the U.K. She's written a book or two on the game of sudoku, so now she "hosts" this game.This is really a very simple and plain electronic sudoku game. The controls are pretty easy to figure out (I rented my copy). There are a few categories of gameplay; for single player mode they are: classic for quick solo playing; arcade for timed playing; career for earning the title "master of sudoku" (it's just progressive play); and "challenge Carol" for timed difficult puzzles. There is a multi-player mode; I didn't try that because nobody else has this game.You also get a few half-baked video instructions, tips and tutorials; they really suck.As a sudoku fan I found most of the games a little too easy. But what really sucks about this game is it's really plain and no fun at all for anyone who's not into sudoku. I mean, they could have made it a bit more interesting. Twenty bucks for a boring game like this is really a waste of money.So, unless you are crazy about sudoku, you'll do better staying away from this game. If you like sudoku, this should have enough puzzles to keep you busy for a while -- although you'd probably have more fun with sudoku games for the Nintendo DS.

I did my homework on Sudoku video games, selected Carol Vorderman's Sudoku, and I'm totally pleased with my choice. Movement around the grid is easy. Game levels are numerous. I'm hooked.

The most important feature for me was whether you could make notations in the game. I don't know how a person can solve a reasonably hard sudoku without making notes in the squares so you can remember what numbers are still possibilities there...I may just be thicker than most. Anyway, based on my internet research reading reviews, this is the only one for the PSP that has that feature.So I bought it (years ago now) and I loved it. I'm fairly certain I've played Carol Vorderman's Sudoku more than any other game I've had for my PSP!

Product was satisfactory, which is to say its over 10 years old... it works... delivery was very fast!

A+++