Dr. Sudoku
is our family’s second encounter with a mobile version of Sudoku. We only
recently became acquainted with this current puzzle craze a few months ago,
but have since become hooked. We reviewed Sudoku Fever soon after we started
playing Sudoku and thoroughly enjoyed it. So, how does Dr. Sudoku stack up
against Sudoku Fever? Well, in some ways it’s better, and in some ways it’s
not as good.
Sudoku is a
logic puzzle where numbers are entered in empty spaces in a 9×9 grid that is
divided into smaller 3×3 grids. Each horizontal line and 3×3 grid contains the
numbers 1-9, with none repeated. Players have to figure out the missing
numbers. Harder levels mean fewer pre-entered numbers.
There are
one thousand original puzzles in Dr. Sudoku, which is a lot! There are twenty
levels of play, each with 50 puzzles. Players can also enter in their own
puzzles. There is also a handy memo option, which allows players to enter in
notes on what numbers may be possible for certain squares.
The
interface offers the R and L buttons to change difficulty levels and bring up
the help screen. The screen is a basic grid with number choices on the side
for the grid. Backgrounds can be changed, but there are only three colors to
choose from, so having this as an option is rather pointless. The music can be
changed, but again, the choices are minimal.
Dr. Sudoku
appears to offer more puzzles and more playing options than Sudoku Fever.
However, the overall appearance of Sudoku Fever is easier to look at than Dr.
Sudoku, mainly due to Sudoku Fever’s prettier backgrounds and less annoying
cursor. The highlighted square flashes in Dr. Sudoku, where in Sudoku Fever
the light runs around the highlighted square. For whatever reason, this is
easier on the eyes than the constant flashing.
The game of
Sudoku is simple and doesn’t offer a whole lot of options in gameplay, so one
game is going to be very similar to any other game. Preferences between
different versions will depend on the look of the game screen and the types of
options available. While Dr. Sudoku does offer tons of original puzzles, it
just doesn’t look as good as Sudoku Fever.
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Gameplay: 7.5
The gameplay is
fun and the ability to enter in number possibilities is nice, but the
enjoyment is dampened a little by the dull backgrounds and annoying flashing
cursor.
Graphics: 6.0
The graphics are
very minimal.
Sound: 5.0
The sound is
wholly average.
Difficulty: Medium
The difficulty
level ranges from very easy to very hard.
Concept: 6.5
This is basic
Sudoku and doesn’t offer anything new, really.
Overall: 7.0
While this does
offer a nice range of options and tons of puzzles, it just isn’t as
pleasurable to play as it could be. More attention should have been paid to
the overall appearance of the game.
