It’s fun. It’s challenging. It’s addictive.

The recent Sudoku craze has helped students and staff practice with logical ability while passing time and entertaining themselves.

Says senior Isaac Lee, “It’s a nice little mind game…that you feel really good about when you solve because it’s really hard to do sometimes.” He discovered Sudoku about a year ago while surfing the internet.

Lately however, word has really gotten out about Sudoku. Some have found out about the puzzles by reading the newspaper or from online websites. Says sophomore Danielle Carter, “A robot came on the screen and asked if I wanted to play Sudoku or another game. I wanted to learn how to play, so I clicked on it.”

Not only does Sudoku exercise your brain, it’s also something to do to pass the time. Freshman Alex Taub says, “It keeps me busy during class when I am bored, or at home.”

Sudoku consists of nine rows and nine columns, and every three-by-three box contains the digits one through nine. Even though there are numbers, there is no math involved; you simply have to solve the puzzle with logic and reasoning. Still, those who are good at math tend to be better at Sudoku.

However, it is not as easy as it sounds. In each row and column, there can only be one of each digit. Easier problems usually take between ten and 30 minutes, depending on how good your problem solving skills are, but harder problems can take over an hour. People have written books on improving your sudoku skills because the puzzles can be very challenging.

If you plan to try out Sudoku, “Don’t guess and check,” says Taub. “Try to work through it slowly…It requires patience.”