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Sudoku (Japanese), sometimes spelled Su Doku, is a logic-based placement puzzle, also known as Number Place in the United States. The aim of the canonical puzzle is to
enter a numerical digit from 1 through 9 in each cell of a 9Ã?9 grid made up of 3Ã?3 subgrids (called "regions"), starting with various digits given in some cells (the "givens"). Each
row, column, and region must contain only one instance of each numeral. Completing the puzzle requires patience and logical ability. Although first published in 1979, Sudoku initially
caught on in Japan in 1986 and attained international popularity in 2005.
The name Sudoku is the Japanese abbreviation of a longer phrase meaning "the digits must remain single"; it is a trademark of puzzle publisher Nikoli Co. Ltd in Japan.
Other Japanese publishers refer to the puzzle as Nanpure (Number Place), which was its original title. In English, it is usually spoken with an Anglicised pronunciation, suh-DOE-coo or
SOO-doe-coo.
The numerals in Sudoku puzzles are used for convenience; arithmetic relationships between numerals
are absolutely irrelevant. Any set of distinct symbols will do; letters, shapes, or colours may be used without altering the rules. Dell
Magazines, the puzzle's originator, has been using numerals for Number Place in its magazines since they first published it in 1979.
The attraction of the puzzle is that the completion rules are simple, yet the line of reasoning required to reach the completion may be difficult. Sudoku is recommended
by some teachers as an exercise in logical reasoning. The level of difficulty of the puzzles can be selected to suit
the audience. The puzzles are often available free from published sources and also may be custom-generated using software.
iDoku is a full Sudoku game generator and solver written in Java and designed to run on any platform supporting Java:
> Windows
> Solaris
> Linux
> Mac
iDoku can be customized to suit the level of difficulty you require. If you get stuck, then there is always
the solve button to help you.
If you are having trouble trying to solve a Sudoku puzzle that has been given to you, then you can get iDoku
to start with a blank game so that you can fill in the "givens" and get iDoku to help you finish the game.
iDoku requires the Java Runtime Environment Version 5.0 or greater.
Get Java Now: http://java.sun.com/getjava/
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