Finally found the best Sudoku app

[wildonrio]

Any Sudoku addict knows that there are dozens of Sudoku apps in the app store. I have suffered through many of them looking for the best one. Well, I think I found it. "Amazing Sudoku". It has great graphics, unlimited Undo/Redo, auto note filling, and it's only $2.99.

[SmartAlx]

Does it have hints to teach you how to play better?

My favorite is Enjoy Sudoku Daily Free since it provides everything you mentioned plus it gives you hints and links to sudopedia so you can understand the hints. I also think the way in which you place the numbers is very simple. That makes solving quicker than if you have to move your finger and eye all over the screen. It also has tools in place to help you to see patterns much easier than the other sudoku apps.

They have a paid version too but I only have time to play one puzzle a day anyway and even if I wanted to pay for a Sudoku game, the paid version of Enjoy Sudoku is the same price as Amazing Sudoku.

[wildonrio]

Well I guess a big deal for me is that interface. Enjoy Sudoku looks ugly, Amazing Sudoku looks amazing. And yes, Amazing Sudoku has hints. I don't want to push that button though since it lowers my score.

[jarofclay73]

I have Sudoku Unlimited and I like it. I like the different skins - I use the one that looks like a newspaper.

[wildonrio]

Originally Posted by jarofclay73

I have Sudoku Unlimited and I like it. I like the different skins - I use the one that looks like a newspaper.

I used to like that until I got to the puzzles where you need to do trial and error. Without an Undo feature, it was frustrating.

[SmartAlx]

Originally Posted by wildonrio

Well I guess a big deal for me is that interface. Enjoy Sudoku looks ugly, Amazing Sudoku looks amazing.

I like the simple interface that Enjoy has. Those fancy ones look like they make it harder to see the numbers.

And yes, Amazing Sudoku has hints. I don't want to push that button though since it lowers my score.

Does it have just hints or instructions on HOW to solve the puzzle? While pressing the hint button lowers your score today, pressing it while playing Enjoy Sudoku can teach you advanced techniques to solving the puzzles faster tomorrow.

Anyway, it's good that we both have one that we like. To each his own. Competition means we all win.

[SmartAlx]

So they came out with a lite version of Amazing Sudoku. I downloaded it and reconfirmed that I definitely believe that Enjoy Sudoku is the best Sudoku game .

Interface.
While the user interface is nice looking, as I expected, it got in the way. Enjoy's interface makes it easier (not harder) to solve the puzzles.

The hint system.
Amazing only gives you 3 hints... hints??? No, as I feared, they aren't hints. They are ANSWERS! It just fills in some of the squares!!! With no explanation! Enjoy gives you hints. First it highlights one or more squares for you to focus on. Then you can ask for more information and it and it will tell you which technique you need to use on those squares, finally if you ask it to keep going with the hints, it will tell you WHAT to do with that/those squares. Sometimes it will give you the number. Sometimes it will eliminate numbers from that square. Sometimes it will eliminate numbers from other squares. And it provides a link to a web resource that explains the techniques in more detail. The point is that Enjoy Sudoku teaches you how to play better.

Multiple puzzles.
Admittady I didn't play with it much, but the puzzle in Amazing Sudoku Lite was very easy, especially with Autopencil on. Is there a way to play harder puzzles? Every day with Enjoy Sudoku Lite I am given several puzzles. 3 of which challenge and teach me.

BUGS!
The first game I played on Amazing Sudoku was extremely easy. I turned on autopencil and was greeted by singles. So I started to press the squares with singles in them and assign the numbers one at a time. It was clear that the puzzle would just be an excercise in following the singles. But then some of the squares started to show up with NO numbers at all!!!! And I was ever warned about it. Did I make a mistake? Possibly but I don't see how since I was following the advice of the autopencil. And if I did make a mistake, I never saw an option to turn on any kind of warning. Enjoy Sudoku has this system. You can press undo and it will tell you that the puzzle can't be solved. Keep undoing until it tells you that it can be solved. You can also press the hint button and it will tell you which squares are messed up.

So, I am VERY happy with Enjoy Sudoku Daily. Not so much with Amazing Sudoku.

[SmartAlx]

Originally Posted by wildonrio

I used to like that until I got to the puzzles where you need to do trial and error. Without an Undo feature, it was frustrating.

I used to use trial and error myself when I had sudoku on another phone. If you know some more intermediate and advanced techniques though, you'll find that you don't need to use trial and error.

[wildonrio]

Originally Posted by SmartAlx

Interface.
While the user interface is nice looking, as I expected, it got in the way. Enjoy's interface makes it easier (not harder) to solve the puzzles.

Got in the way? Of what, seeing? I can see everything very clearly.

Originally Posted by SmartAlx

The hint system.
Amazing only gives you 3 hints... hints??? No, as I feared, they aren't hints. They are ANSWERS! It just fills in some of the squares!!! With no explanation! Enjoy gives you hints. First it highlights one or more squares for you to focus on. Then you can ask for more information and it and it will tell you which technique you need to use on those squares, finally if you ask it to keep going with the hints, it will tell you WHAT to do with that/those squares. Sometimes it will give you the number. Sometimes it will eliminate numbers from that square. Sometimes it will eliminate numbers from other squares. And it provides a link to a web resource that explains the techniques in more detail. The point is that Enjoy Sudoku teaches you how to play better.

I concede that Amazing Sudoku is not a teach-you-how-to-play Sudoku type app. It's just to simply enjoy the game.

Originally Posted by SmartAlx

Multiple puzzles.
Admittady I didn't play with it much, but the puzzle in Amazing Sudoku Lite was very easy, especially with Autopencil on. Is there a way to play harder puzzles? Every day with Enjoy Sudoku Lite I am given several puzzles. 3 of which challenge and teach me.

The lite version only has Easy. And NEVER turn Autopencil on, it makes even Hard WAY too easy (in the full version). For the recond I have already contacted the developer and he said that a Very Hard setting is due for the next update.

Originally Posted by SmartAlx

BUGS!
The first game I played on Amazing Sudoku was extremely easy. I turned on autopencil and was greeted by singles. So I started to press the squares with singles in them and assign the numbers one at a time. It was clear that the puzzle would just be an excercise in following the singles. But then some of the squares started to show up with NO numbers at all!!!! And I was ever warned about it. Did I make a mistake? Possibly but I don't see how since I was following the advice of the autopencil. And if I did make a mistake, I never saw an option to turn on any kind of warning. Enjoy Sudoku has this system. You can press undo and it will tell you that the puzzle can't be solved. Keep undoing until it tells you that it can be solved. You can also press the hint button and it will tell you which squares are messed up.

Once again, Auto notes is a bad idea.


If Enjoy Sudoku was more attractive, it would obviously be the better choice. But I guess I prioritize differently. I think the Bottom line is, if you are looking to just play Sudoku without learning new strategies, AND appearance is important to you, then Amazing Sudoku is better. If you don't care about interface and you want to learn different Sudoku strategies, then Enjoy Sudoku is better. Fair enough?

[SmartAlx]

I think we can agree on that. Although I think we'll just have to agree to disagree on which one has the more favorable interface. LOL