So about a month ago as I was browsing the usual gaming sites, I came across some info on a puzzle game called Picross, or Picture Crossword. I was intrigued, especially after hearing how popular it actually is and how addicting it can be. As one that did jump on the Sudoku craze bandwagon, I was looking for another logic puzzle that would engulf me randomly throughout the day. And boy was this it.

Not knowing a lick about it I quickly did some searching and learned the basics and how to play. The puzzles are laid out on grids, starting at 5x5 and go up from there (I think they cap off at 100x100, which I will probably never try lol). Each row and column has numbers associated with it that you will you use to determine which boxes are filled in, and which boxes are left blank. Once the grid has been properly filled out your hard work will reveal a picture/pattern.

The best bet to learn this is to read through a quick tutorial or walkthrough and then take a stab at one of the smaller 5x5 puzzles. There's no shame in tackling the smaller ones first, trust me, you'll need the practice! Baby steps...baby steps...

The basic rundown of how this works is that numbers will be listed in each column and row, those numbers represent how many blocks of the corresponding row/column are filled in. If there are multiple numbers, then at least one space must be between the two groups/blocks of numbers.

A common example would be on a 5x5 grid, one row is labeled as "1, 3". In this example the row would contain one block, with at least one space after it, then three consecutive blocks. Same rules apply for whatever a column is labeled as. If a row is labeled with just a "5", that means that five consecutive blocks are filled out.

Pretty easy once you get the hang of it. It gets more complicated as the grids get bigger, and there are multiple sets of numbers (such as a 10x10 grid, with a row labeled as "2,1,2".

At first I thought in my oh so bright mind that there would be no way of doing this without throwing in random guesses. Don't! Random guesses could completely throw you off and ruin your chances of properly finishing the puzzle. One feature that I learned to make heavy use of is the X feature, which marks spaces blank. If you know that a space is definitely blank than mark it, it will help!

So as much as I butchered trying to explain what this game is about and how to play it, go through a quick tutorial and read some tips - they're way more helpful than my pitiful explanations.

The place I learned from was picross.com (which is also Wii friendly). Has a quick tutorial and some great beginner puzzles.

Once you start playing you'll quickly realize that the basics and logic behind them are a bit easier than you first expected, and you can get a good challenge from some of the bigger puzzles. Trust me, I was a bit skeptical when I first heard about it, but a little committment to learning the game showed me how addicting filling out squares in a grid could be. And whats worse, it will have you coming back for more.

You suck!

Why did you have to show me that!!! Why!!!!!

As if there weren't ENOUGH things to waste time doing on the Internet!

Quote: Originally Posted by DickNervous You suck! Why did you have to show me that!!! Why!!!!! As if there weren't ENOUGH things to waste time doing on the Internet!

lol! Now only if an Xbox Live version would come out so we can earn some achievement points!