Super Hanjie
Following on from the success of Hanjie, Super Hanjie is the sumo-sized version of the classic 'Japanese' puzzle.
The puzzle is neat, elegant, easy to understand and deceptively simple: a grid of squares is to have some squares filled in and others left blank. But the solver does not have just the satisfaction of successfully solving a purely logical puzzle but the pleasure of seeing a pixelated picture form before their eyes as the squares are filled in.
Numbers are given at the end of each line and these tell you how many adjacent cells are to be filled in to form a 'block'. Blocks are identified by the spaces in between them. Only very simple counting and addition are required to solve many of the easier puzzles. But hanjie offers a wide range of difficulty levels and the harder puzzles can be very challenging, requiring the solver to spot just where a logical deduction can be made. However, there is no trial and error and only a single line needs to be examined at any one time. Discovering the logic needed for yourself is highly rewarding and there are also guides to the sort of thinking that is required.
Super Hanjie offers much larger puzzles than are available in Hanjie, ranging from 30x40 up to 50x60. Not only do these give many more hours of puzzling but the sizes produce pictures that have much more detail and visual appeal than is possible in the smaller grids. With a Super Hanjie puzzle it is possible to create a very good likeness of famous buildings and famous people as well as the standard scenes from everyday life and nature.
In addition to the original puzzle, the magazine also includes four two-colour hanjie puzzles in each issue as well as three Labyrinth puzzles – a hanjie variation not widely available, where different logical situations and solving techniques are required.
The puzzles are neatly presented with very clear grids on a simple pastel background. Each issue contains 43 puzzles.
The magazine is printed on clear white paper and only a pencil or pen is needed (plus one colour pen/pencil for the two-colour puzzles). It is available from WHSmith or by Puzzler Media Ltd subscription only.