I have to admit that I was a Sudoku newbie before I played Carol Vorderman’s Sudoku. I’ve seen all of the handheld mini games everywhere but I never actually played the game. I was eager to find out what everyone was raving about by seeing if I would get sucked in to the Sudoku craze. I’m happy to announce that Carol Vorderman’s Sudoku is a great package for introducing and challenging players of the game.

For those that don’t know Carol Vorderman is a celebrity in the UK having appeared on numerous television programs. Carol is also known for her intellectual prowess by performing impressive mathematical calculations on the show Countdown. Carol published several books and videos with the most recent expansion into Sudoku. The PSP game is a mixture of video tutorial and Sudoku game.

The game starts off with a video history lesson of Sudoku presented by Carol. Besides the introduction video there are several other video tutorials viewable in the game. The videos range from the rules of the game to offering tips for extremely difficulty Sudoku puzzles. One of the best videos shows Carol offering her insight into completing a puzzle from start to finish. I have to admit that this was a nice way for me to learn how to play the game.

The game offers multiple gameplay modes for your Sudoku challenge. The single-player game offers four different modes: Classic, Arcade, Career and Challenge Mode. The Classic mode offers four different difficulty levels for a regular Sudoku game. The Arcade mode offers four game modes, Beat the Clock, Extra Time, Perfection and 3 Strikes. Beat the Clock and Extra Time are time based events with Extra Time giving you additional time for successful moves. Perfection mode will cost you for each mistake that you make. 3 Strikes allows you just three mistakes before the game is over.

The Career mode has you playing to earn a higher ranking. You start off on the lowest ranking, White Belt, while working your way up to a Black Belt. Each belt level increases the difficulty and number of puzzles you have to solve in order to advance. According to the game the Challenge Carol mode is the ultimate test of your Sudoku skills. The game even claims that once you beat the last puzzle in the Challenge Carol you can consider yourself to be a Sudoku master.

The Multiplayer modes are not quite as extensive as the single-player modes. Head to Head lets you play against other Sudoku players via the Ad Hoc, local wireless, mode. Sadly no infrastructure Wi-Fi play is included. Quickfire and Time Attack both offer the ability for two players to compete against each other with one PSP. Quickfire has the players competing against each other to see who can solve half of the Sudoku board first. Time Attack lets you play to determine who can finish a puzzle the fastest.

All of the gameplay modes are very impressive but the gameplay feels tied down due to the presentation. The game board is exactly the same for every gameplay mode, which is disappointing. The layout of the board has the 9x9 game board laid out with game’s logo in the left corner, a number key in the right corner and a grid map in the bottom right corner. Some floating numbers can be seen in the background, which is the only background in the game.  You simply move the cursor to an empty spot on the board and then select a number from the number key.

Now this is where it gets a little strange because the game includes some signals that are supposed to help in the game. Sometimes when you enter a number the board will light up with several numbers highlighted. The grid in the right hand corner has an indicator that is supposed to tell you how many rows/columns you’ve put together. But neither the light indicators nor grid are mentioned in the instruction manual or the tutorials in the game. My wife even made a comment that she thought she had all of the numbers right because the grid was all one color but the game kept going. I’m sure this is an oversight but it does impact how you will play the game.

Carol Vorderman’s Sudoku is a good Sudoku package for the PSP. The video tutorials are nice way of getting players accustomed to the game. The gameplay modes are numerous enough to keep you busy in the single player game for days. Sadly the presentation is the only big limitation of the game with only one board layout for the entire game. But if you’re dying to play a Sudoku game for the PSP then make sure to check out Carol Vorderman’s Sudoku.

Gameplay: 8.0
As a good puzzle game should be Sudoku is easy to learn but difficult to master. This game is no different with it being easy to pick up and learn but difficult to master. The controls are easy enough with you moving your cursor and then selecting a number to enter on the game board. But the in-game notifications/hints really are of no help.

Graphics: 6.5
The videos look excellent on the beautiful PSP screen. If only we had more than one game board to look at while playing the game.

Sound: 6.0
No offense to Carol but listening to her is not my idea of music and sound effects.  The regular game gets you some generic background music that is repeated during the game.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
I have to admit that I spent the first couple of days having no luck figuring out any of the puzzles. But eventually I finally “got” the game and started to breeze through the easier levels. The harder levels should prove to be enough of challenge for Sudoku veterans.

Multiplayer: 7.0
It’s nice to see a PSP game offer multiplayer through just one PSP system. But I still get upset when we don’t get the infrastructure mode included in a PSP game.

Concept: 7.5
The game offers a wealth of gameplay modes which should be enough for newbie and veterans. The videos are a nice feature that gives you a better understand of how to play the game but the history of Sudoku.

Overall: 7.0
Carol Vorderman’s Sudoku is a good game for the PSP that offers a ton of gameplay options to keep you busy. If you’re looking for a Sudoku game then look no farther then Carol Vorderman’s Sudoku.