Using the Program

Playing the Game

To place a number onto the game board (shown to the right) highlight the desired block with the mouse and then press the left mouse button. If the number does not conform with the rules of Su Doku it will appear in red. If the number does not cause a redundancy it will appear in black. Please note that if a number is printed in black it does not necessarily mean that the number is the correct solution, it only means that the number conforms to the rules of Su Doku. For more information on how to play Su Doku please view the 'How to Play' section of this document. The number to be placed onto the game board is selected by either clicking on one of the numbers displayed to the right of the game board or by pressing a number key between one and nine. To remove a number from the game board highlight the desired block and press the right mouse button. Numbers that appear in green cannot be removed from the game board because they are part of the puzzle. Once the entire game board is filled and the solution attained the program will respond with a congratulatory message and sound. This program generates Su Doku tables randomly on the fly. This allows it to create an almost limitless (in human terms) quantity of puzzles. If you find that the program is creating puzzles that are too difficult to solve it may be necessary to adjust the difficulty setting. This can be accomplished by following the procedure outlined below in 'The Options Menu' section.


The Game Menu

The game menu (shown to the right) evokes actions related to the process of the game. For instance, clicking the 'New' selection will start a new game. The 'Reset' selection will reset the numbers on the game board. Resetting the game does not create a new set of numbers but instead re-sets the shown numbers in different locations. Clicking the 'Save' selection saves the current game in its exact game state while clicking the 'Load' selection loads a game. Terminate the program by clicking the 'Exit' selection. The first four selections all have accelerator keys. This simply means that their actions can be evoked by pressing a specific keyboard button or buttons. For example, a new game can be started by pressing the 'F2' key.


The Board Menu

The board menu (shown to the right) describes actions that deal only with the game board. To create a Su Doku puzzle click on the 'Create' selection to generate a blank game board. The 'Clear' command will clear all user made marks (red and black) from the game board. The 'Export' command will generate and load an HTML document from the current game board. The export command will generate an HTML document of the game board, however, it is not possible to play the game within the HTML document. The export command is meant to allow the user to print the game board using a printer.


The Options Menu

The options menu (shown to the right) contains commands that will alter the state of the program. To change the difficulty setting of the game highlight the 'Difficulty' selection and then click on the desired difficulty setting. The choices to chose from are easy, medium, hard, and custom. The custom selection allows the user to enter a number between one and 81. The number represents the amount of numbers that will be visible when a new game is started. For example, selecting a value of 81 will display the entire solution while selecting a value of one will display only a single number. If the difficulty setting is set too low it is possible for the program to create a puzzle that has more than one solution. If this is to occur the program may not recognize a solution as correct. Such an event will be recognizable when there are no red numbers on the board and the board is completely filled. The 'Generate HTML' command will create and load an HTML document filled with four Su Doku puzzles of the currently selected difficulty level. This option is a quick way to create and print four puzzles that can be solved away from the computer. By clicking the 'Select Color' option the color of the highlighter can be changed. Sound can be turned on and off by clicking the 'Sound' selection.


The Help Menu

The help menu, as the name implies, provides assistance for Su Doku Version 1.0. The 'Contents' command loads this document, as you should already be aware, and can be quickly accessed by pressing the 'F1' key. To view the solution todescription of the problem as possible. I would also appreciate any correspondence about this program's game play. Is it too hard, etc. Any feedback so long as it is helpful and not insulting would be appreciated.