Pure Sudoku Deluxe PC Review

I’m going to try and keep this review as short as possible. Sudoku is huge! And is a very addictive game…obviously a computer rendition should be mainly judged on its interface since playing Sudoku on a computer is very different than writing in your local newspaper. The bottom line is that Pure Sudoku is a very solid/typical way to present sudoku. The interface isn’t as good as…say Brain Age for the DS, but the DS isn’t a PC. If you like Sudoku and want it to be available on your computer you should really consider buying this product. If you don’t like sudoku, you won’t like this game either as it is a pretty straight forward port of the pen/paper version.

Gameplay: 8/10
Pros: Very easy interface- you can quickly boot up a sudoku puzzle on whatever difficulty you want and start solving it. Cool hint feature which shows you the number possibilities in each square.
Cons: It lacks some features I would have liked to see…for instance: you can’t pencil into a square the numbers you know to be the only possibilities. The hint feature is too powerful and makes things too easy.

Graphics: 6/10
Pros: its sudoku…you get a nice clean grid, numbers, and in this game’s case some nature and scenery photographs in the background. It’s all nice and looks fine.
Cons; its sudoku…so no animations, sprites or any graphics to write home about.

Sound/Music: 4/10
Pros: Sounds consist of clicks and button presses- nothing annoying distracts you during your time of sudoku Zen concentration.
Cons: There is no music whatsoever and the sound is almost nonexistent…it’s not essential in this type of game anyway, but there really is no sound to speak of at all.

Lasting Appeal: 8/10
Pros: It’s the addicting game of sudoku on your computer, but unlike the daily puzzle in your paper, you can just click and load up another one right after you solve a puzzle. Plenty of puzzles for the $10 price tag.
Cons: Not being able to pencil in the number possibilities really aggravates me and if I found a computer sudoku that offered that feature I would switch.

Average: 65.00%
Tilt: -2.00%

The bottom line is these types of games are all about the interface and I prefer the interface (even with the limited puzzles) of Brain Age on Nintendo DS more than this PC rendition. However, the title is only $10 and if you are a sudoku addict, you’ll definitely get your money’s worth on this title (as long as you are not a sudoku player who writes profusely with pencil all over the puzzle).

Verdict: 63%