Comments on: Sudoku Xtra – a brand new magazine

By: Gareth Moore

Gareth Moore — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 01:23:13 +0000

Thanks for the kind words, Glenda, and don't forget to post on the Sudoku Xtra forums to let me know what you think of the magazine!

By: Glenda

Glenda — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 01:47:51 +0000

Hi Gareth,

Being so far from the UK, I’ve only now, after searching the magazine racks for weeks, discovered that Sudoku Pro is no more. I love the variety and the range of skill and time required – no other magazine I’ve seen comes close. I will be signing up for Sudoku Xtra.
Wishing you every success.
Glenda (Melbourne, Australia)

By: Cas

Cas — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 06:14:56 +0000

Gareth I moved house from one end of the UK to the other around the time that SUDOKU PRO dissappeared. I too, like the other commenters, am at a loss as to how such a project was not more popular. As for your new project – I wish you the very best as it -I, personally, like the 16X 16 challenges.

By: Gareth Moore

Gareth Moore — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:54:00 +0000

Hi Angela,
You’ll both be pleased to know that Sudoku Xtra’s first issue includes several big Sudokus and not one but FOUR toroidal Sudoku puzzles! There are also four Futoshiki and four Sudoku Inequality – that’s more than Sudoku Pro too!

2-away Sudoku is a great idea for inclusion – I’ll put them on the list for issue 2, due out in just a couple of weeks!

There’s a little more info at http://www.sudokuxtra.com too.

By: Angela

Angela — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:50:32 +0000

Gareth,
both me and my husband were gutted when we found out what had happened to Sudoku Pro as we both enjoyed the variety of puzzles. Thanks to the link you published we’ve managed to get issue 50 so we’ve got something to keep us going for a while. Sudoku Xtra sounds good – I particularly like the Futoshiki and Sudoku Inequality. My husband likes the big Sudokus and the Toroidal – he was always complaining that there was only 1 Toroidal in each issue so if you can include some of those it would be good. Also, a recent issue included a masterclass on Sudoku 2 Away and I really enjoyed them, perhaps you could include some of those please?

By: Gareth Moore

Gareth Moore — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 07:55:53 +0000

It’s great to hear from you Cathy, and I really hope you enjoy Sudoku Xtra instead! It’s possibly even more convenient, since you don’t even need to head outsikde to get hold of it! Plus, now that issue 1 is available, it even has more puzzles and more variety.

By: Cathy S

Cathy S — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 17:27:48 +0000

Have never been compelled to post a reply to any forums in the past, but just wanted to echo many of the comments already made. I was gutted to hear about the demise of ‘Sudoku Pro’. I was about to order a Birthday present subscription of it to a friend who also thoroughly enjoyed the puzzles, and hopefully drop big hints for a Christmas present for myself. Hopefully Sudoku Xtra will be a viable alternative.
My favourites were the Suduko Inequality and the Futoshiko puzzles but the overall variety in the magazine was what made it so special, including the easy battleships (I’m saying this as my opinion and not to disrespect others opinions who maybe didn’t like them)
Anyway glad to have the mystery solved as to why I couldn’t find SP in local newspaper shop.
Kind regards
Cathy

By: Gareth Moore

Gareth Moore — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:16:47 +0000

Total Konzai was a great magazine, and what really happened was that the then-existing Sudoku Pro magazine (a small square title with only regular Sudoku at various sizes and Killer in) stopped being published and Total Konzai was renamed to Sudoku Pro, which I think was a much better name. After all, it isn’t really obvious what “Total Konzai” means, even though it is a clever name! (well apparently – I don’t speak Japanese!)

Sudoku Xtra prints really well 2-up for people who like a smaller page size, and the puzzles are still perfectly solvable. But the full-size magazine version I got from Amazon this week is, I have to say, just awesome!

By: Spittledung

Spittledung — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:08:40 +0000

Behold, I am death … destroyer of puzzle publications.

I remember enjoying your Konzai magazine from 2006 because it had other Japanese puzzles than just Sudoku. My wife would mail them to me while I was in the USA since they didn’t have them there.

Then Konzai was no more and you merged with Sudoku Pro … well okay, even if you have the big sudokus that I don’t care for.

…and now another good puzzle mag bites the dust.

The good news though is Sudoku Xtra. More Puzzles for the same price (well, puzzle books are rising in price where I am) and I can print out only the ones that I want to do. And with page formatting I can save space … I prefer the smaller puzzle books in size.

All in all, I think is is a positive step forward Gareth.

By: Gareth Moore

Gareth Moore — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:00:03 +0000

Wow – thank you so much for all the fantastic comments about Sudoku Pro!

I’ve also now had literally dozens of requests for 16×16 and 25×25 Sudoku, so I will be putting together some special books of these for you all! There’s also a 20×20 Sudoku in Sudoku Xtra, by the way, so maybe those will be requested soon too!

The magazine will (within reason!) feature whatever puzzles people want – as I say in the introduction, it’s YOUR magazine so let me know what YOU want! ABC puzzles are definitely planned for an issue soon (maybe even issue 2), and I definitely want extra Nurikabe in future issues too.

If you haven’t already spotted it, Sudoku Xtra is now available: http://www.SudokuXtra.com

By: Cara

Cara — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:37:26 +0000

I only just found out that this magazine has stopped being published. I am mortified. I loved it. Especially the 16 x 16 puzzles and especially the 25 x 25 puzzles which I am now in bereavement for. I am a complete addict and don’t know what I am going to do now!! I guess this will free up my time for more domestic chores.

I will happily buy any publication that you write, Gareth, and would beg you to put the more challenging large puzzles in it.

Many thanks
Cara

By: Sandy

Sandy — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:29:07 +0000

I have just launched my website and decided some months ago on the name sodukoXtra. By an unfortune co-incidence your sitename is very similar. I shall make it clear on my homepage “not to be confused with soduko xtra” and will put a link to your site. I was wondering why search engines were slow in registering my website( http;//sodukoxtra.co.uk ) Perhaps they too have become confused.

By: Jean Iley

Jean Iley — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:10:10 +0000

I felt quite bereft when I realised, last week, that I wouldn’t be receiving any further copies of Sudoku Pro. I used to spend so much (some might say too much)time solving the puzzles that it felt like there was going to be a big void in my life – only Sudoku addicts would understand this!

I was so pleased to find your website with all the info. Fortunately, I had bookmarked the digital site so was able to print issue 50 and will try to spin it out until Sudoku Xtra appears.

My favourites have been the 16 x 16, Futoshiki,Toroidal,Jigsaw,Sudoku Inequality, Caldudoku and even the 25 x 25 which takes days. I haven’t been so keen on Battleships, Dominoes,Nurikabe,Hitori,Masyu or the regular Sudoku.

Good luck with your new venture – don’t leave it too long!

By: Cathy

Cathy — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:35:40 +0000

Hi Gareth,

I was a fan from the start of sudoku pro when it was more or less just 16 x 16 sudoku whch are my favourite. I was disappointed when the number of these reduced to just six per issue and more recently just five. I hope you will put plenty into your new project which I plan to subscribe to.

Looking forward to seeing it.

By: Steve

Steve — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:27:02 +0000

Hello Gareth,
Another disappointed regular Sudoku Pro puzzle solver here! That was an excellent magazine, and issue 49 (when I’d found it – Smiths didn’t seen to stock it) had an even better mix of puzzles, I’m really sad it has gone (I liked Mind Games too ). I can’t understand why the variety of Sudoku Pro (and Mind Games) wasn’t more popular than the usual boring Sudoku mags.

I’ll try and come back and subscribe to Sudoku Xtra when you have it up and running. Good luck with that venture – I really hope it succeeds.

PS My favourites were Slitherlink and Nurikabe, and the ABC ones from Mind Games were good too.

By: Gareth Moore

Gareth Moore — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:53:41 +0000

Thanks for everyone’s comments, including those I’ve had by email – much appreciated. It is indeed very sad about Sudoku Pro, and as has been said there’s nothing else like it out there now – at least not outside Japan!

Luckily as the posting I’ve just made makes clear it looks like Sudoku Xtra will be one of my potential projects which actually does get completed! I’m actually really excited about it now, and it’s starting to take shape nicely on my computer here, based initially mainly on content I made for Sudoku Pro issue 51.

The Battleships in Sudoku Pro were always easy, mainly because I made a lot of them once upon a time for a children’s book and then kept on using them! It is possible to make much harder and more interesting puzzles, but some people actually liked the easy ones so they stayed in the magazine like that. Hard Battleships puzzles are actually lots of fun, so I might put some of them in at some point – but no in issue 1 at any rate!

Skyscraper is a great idea – that’s going on the list right now! And Consecutive Sudoku is already in. Easy as ABC is one of my favourites too, and the Tiger/Tree (a.k.a. Tents) puzzles are a good idea as well.

By: Christine

Christine — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:17:53 +0000

Just to echo Nikki’s comments that I am also disappointed to see the end of Sudoku Pro – it is the only magazine which offers a wider variety of japanese puzzles. I personally would also leave out the easy battleships and sudoku puzzles. I am not a fan of the bigger 16 x 16 and 25 x 25 puzzles either and never bother to do those (although I do like the overlapping ones like the star sudoku), but I have heard you say that many others do like these, and of course you will have to choose the puzzles that are comercially viable. Personally, I love the newer sudoku variants such as consecutive and skyscraper.

Other types of puzzles might be the Easy as ABC or Tie a Tiger to a Tree which used to appear in the old BBC Mind Games magazine.

Needless to say, I will subscribe to Sudoku Xtra when it appears and wish you luck with your new venture. Here’s hoping it will really take off and reach a wider market.

By: nikki

nikki — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:22:42 +0000

Just wanted to say how very disappointed i am about Sudoku Pro-i actually feel quite gutted! I have had many hours of pleasure from this great magazine and have looked foward to it each month. Very pleased to see you may be continuing with something similar hopefully with even more variety as in edition 49. My only comment would be not to bother with silly easy puzzles like battleships and easy sudoku as there are already so many mags with those in if that is what people want. Personally i would like more much harder puzzles.

I am not great with computers-can anyone tell me how i might be able to get the digital version of edition 50? I did not subscribe to Sudoku Pro just bought it each month.