When WPF first came on the scene a few years ago, I felt it was important to undertake a project using that technology to ensure that I would be able to remain current with respect to delivering end-user applications. I was specifically interested in developing an application that would run on a desktop as well as on a mobile phone and in exploring the impressive UI options that I'd witnessed at a conference. In looking at my phone, it struck me that a Sudoku game would be a perfect fit for the phone. That being the case, I developed this game which still provides me with endless hours of fun.

I have yet to complete the mobile version of Sudoku but, I'm sure I will (some day). Now, though, I imagine I will need to create versions that will run on an iPad and an Android (and, at the rate things are moving, my watch and my blender). Until that time, I'm sure the world will be fine without another mobile Sudoku app.

For the record, the effort to complete the deployment to a mobile device is probably negligible. What is holding me back is the fact that I built the application on top of RapidApp (my .NET rapid application development framework) and, because that framework routinely leverages diagnostic tags that are not supported by the mobile framework (e.g. [DebuggerStepThrough], [DebuggerBrowsable()]), I will be forced to generate a mobile branch of the framework. That's not a huge priority for me at this point; I'd rather continue to focus my efforts on enhancing RapidDoc and the RapidBI Studio.

How to Play Sudoku?

Sudoku requires no calculation or arithmetic skills. It is essentially a game of placing numbers in squares, using very simple rules of logic and deduction. It is a very easy game to learn and can be enjoyed by players of all ages.

The objective of the game is to fill all the blank squares in a game with the correct numbers. There are three very simple constraints to follow. In this release of Sudoku Anytime! the game board is a 9x9 board:

1. Every row of 9 numbers must include all digits 1 through 9 in any order
2. Every column of 9 numbers must include all digits 1 through 9 in any order
3. Every 3 by 3 quadrant of the 9 by 9 square must include all digits 1 through 9

Navigate the Board

In addition to the mouse or stylus, the following keys can be used to move around the gameboard:

The current cell is indicated by a gradient color. Hints  that have been filled in are displayed in green. Static values that were filled in when the gameboard was generated are displayed in grey. Values entered by the player are entered in black.

Entering Values

The delete key, the space bar, and the backspace key can be used to clear the current value of a cell. The number keys 1-9 are used to enter a valid sudoku value.

Scratch Pad Area

Each cell contains a scratch pad area that will provide the ability to annotate any possible candidates for a cell. Double-clicking  a cell value or pressing the “S” key will move an existing value from the cell to the scratch pad area (provided there is an available slot in the scratch pad area). Each press of the letter “X” will cycle through the scratch pad area and switch the scratch pad value with the cell value. Repeatedly pressing the letter “C” will cycle through the three areas on the scratch pad and clear the values.

Alternately, clicking on a value in the scratch pad area will swap the values between the game board and the scratch pad. Similiarly, right-clicking on a scratch pad value will clear that single value.

Resizing the Gameboard

The gameboard can be resized by using the slider bar that is located in the top left section of the screen.

Menu Options

Board Color: this option allows the player to select from a list of colors to use as the background color of the board.

New (Alt+N): Begins a new puzzle board at the current level of difficulty.

Hint (Alt+H): Fills in one cell that has not been solved by the player.

Check Puzzle (Alt+C): Checks the current puzzle for correctness. Cells that have been completed incorrectly are colored in red. Cells that have been completed correctly are colored in green. The Reset Colors menu option can be used to remove the red and green coloring after a puzzle has been checked.

Erase Errors (Alt+E): Resets cells that have been completed with an incorrect value.

Reset Colors (Alt+R): Resets the background color of all cells to the default. Use this option after a Check Puzzle operation has been completed.

Easy: Sets the puzzle level of difficulty to easy and starts a new game.

Medium: Sets the puzzle level of difficulty to medium and starts a new game.

Difficult: Sets the puzzle level of difficulty to difficult and starts a new game.

Very Difficult: Sets the puzzle level of difficulty to very difficult and starts a new game.

Undo Last Move (Ctrl+Z): Regressively undoes the series of moves made in the game. Does not apply to Hints that may have been obtained.

Help (F1): Displays this help document.

About (Alt+A): Displays the software credits for the product.

Register: The shareware version of this product will allow the user to play 15 games before the software becomes locked. Software registration involves paying a nominal fee for licensing the product. Certain additional features are available to registered users. Among these features are the ability to save a game that is in progress so that the game can be completed at a later time and to obtain game hints.

Close (F4): Exits the game. When the game is closed, the user will be prompted to save the current game if it has not been solved. If the game is saved, the next time Sudoku Anytime! – Silver is opened, the last game board will be restored. This feature is only supported in registered versions of the game.