Excerpt
Introduction
Hanjie is a fascinating Japanese picture puzzle that dates back to at least the eighteenth century. It consists of an empty grid that is filled in by following a few simple number clues, gradually revealing a concealed image -- a kind of "painting by numbers." Just by finishing a puzzle, you're rewarded with a stylized work of art!
How to play
Hanjie puzzles consist of a grid of empty white squares, with every row and column in the grid having an adjacent list of one or more numbers -- these are the clues. (In this book, clues for horizontal rows are to the right of the grid, and clues for vertical columns are at the foot.) Completing the puzzles involves nothing more complex than shading or coloring in the number of squares dictated by each row's or column's list of clues. The twist is that the clues tell you only how many squares to shade in on a line -- it is up to you to work out where they go!
About the puzzles
In this book there are 150 puzzles of increasing width and height; as you proceed through each size, the puzzles get progressively harder. If you get completely stuck, then check out the solutions at the back of the book.
You won't, however, get stuck -- or not too badly -- if you persist, and on the way you will discover an absorbing logic game with a very satisfying result. Good luck!
Compilation copyright and#169; 2006 by Michael O'Mara Books Limited
Puzzles and solutions copyright and#169; 2006 by Gareth Moore