Nintendo does Sudoku for DS

Not since the Rubik's Cube craze of the 1980s has a puzzle game generated as much furore as sudoku. Played by anyone and everyone and just about anywhere (we even get sent sudoku grids on our new fax machine!), it is for once no exaggeration to say that the phenomenon has gripped the nation.

All of which begs the question, do we really need any more of it? Apparently Nintendo thinks we do, hence the launch of Sudoku Master for the DS.

The game contains 400 puzzles over three difficulty settings plus a tutorial and practice mode for those who are new to the puzzle (where have you been people, don't you read newspapers?).

Players can chose to either tap numbers in via an onscreen pad or to simply write in the digit directly using the stylus, and you can also store notes at a smaller size. There are also a couple of nifty features enabling you to highlight entire rows or instances of a specific number to help you visualise things in a different way.

Other than that though the main benefit of transferring your puzzling to DS looks likely to be the Rank mode. Unlocked by winning stars in the basic game, this challenges you to complete puzzles in a set time frame and awards you a ranking accordingly, Big Brain Academy style.

The launch is pencilled in for 27th October (although we think you can confidently mark it with pen) with a price of around £20 mooted.

Whether this all adds up to good value or you're better off just buying a newspaper (or a fax machine) will be revealed when we fill you in with our review.