An Entry-Level Puzzle Packet

Authored by Joseph Howard

This packet serves as a method to be introduced to a variety of
puzzle types in a relaxed manner. The difficulty ranges from
trivial to moderately challenging.

Puzzle Types Featured

Binary

Buchstabensalat

Cave
Dominion
Even-Odd Sudoku
Fillomino
Hidato
Light and Shadow
Minesweeper Sudoku
Nurikabe
Sashikabe
Shakashaka
Star Battle
Sudoku
Tapa
Tatami
Thermometers
Yin Yang
Binary
In Binary, you are to insert 1s and 0s in the cells of the grid. All rows and columns
must contain the same number of 1s and 0s. There cannot be more than 2 identical
numbers in a row. Finally, all rows must be unique, and all columns must be unique.
Buchstabensalat
In Buchstabensalat, you are to insert the letters in the given ranges into the grid.
Each letter must appear in each row and column exactly once. Some cells will be
empty. The letters outside the grid indicate the first letter seen from that direction.
Cave
In Cave, you are to shade some cells to leave behind a group of white cells that is
orthogonally connected. All shaded cells must connect to an edge of the grid
through other shaded cells. All numbered cells must be a part of the cave, with each
number indicating the total count of cells connected vertically and horizontally to
the numbered cell including the cell itself.
Dominion
In Dominion, you are to shade in 2x1 dominoes such that these dominoes divide the
grid in to regions of white cells. Dominoes may not share an edge, but can touch
diagonally. Every region must contain at least one lettered cell, and cells of the same
letter must be in the same region.
Even-Odd Sudoku
In Even-Odd Sudoku, you are to place the numbers 1-6 into each row, column, and
outlined region exactly once. Shaded cells contain even numbers, whilst white cells
contain odd numbers.
Fillomino
In Fillomino, you are to divide the grid into regions called polyominoes. No two
polyominoes of the same area can share an edge. A numbered cell denotes the area
of the polyomino it belongs to. A polyomino may contain one clue cell, multiple clue
cells of the same number, or none at all (i.e., it is “hidden”).
Hidato
In Hidato, you are to place numbers in the grid that count up from 1 to N (36, here)
such that they connect orthogonally or diagonally in consecutive order. Some
numbers are given for you.
Light and Shadow
In Light and Shadow, you are to divide the grid into regions, some white and some
shaded. The clue numbers will tell you the area of the region it belongs to and
whether it is shaded or white. Each region contains exactly one clue number, and no
two regions of the same color (shaded/unshaded) may share an edge.
Minesweeper Sudoku
In Minesweeper Sudoku, you are to place mines into the grid such that every row,
column, and outlined region contains 2 mines. The numbered clue cells tell how
many mines are present in the surrounding cells, both orthogonal and diagonal.
Nurikabe
In Nurikabe, you are to shade cells to divide the grid into white regions. All shaded
cells must be orthogonally connected, and there can be no 2x2 areas of shaded cells.
Each white region must contain exactly one clue number, and that number is equal
to the area of that region. White regions must not share an edge.
Sashikabe
In Sashikabe, you are to shade cells to divide the grid into white regions. All white
regions must be one cell wide and L-shaped. White regions must not share an edge.
Arrows point from the end of an island towards the bend in the middle. Circles
denote the cell in which a region bends, and can contain a number denoting the area
of the region. A region may contain up to two arrows and one circle clue.
Shakashaka
In Shakashaka, you are to shade cells in a unique way. A cell will either remain
unshaded, or half of it will be shaded in the form of a right triangle. All remaining
white areas must be rectangular or square. You may want to look up an example to
get a good feel for the areas that can form. Numbered cells denote how many
triangles share an edge with that cell.
Star Battle
In Star Battle, you are to place a certain number of stars (1, here) in each row,
column, and outlined region. Stars cannot touch, not even diagonally.
Sudoku
In Sudoku, you are to place the numbers 1 through 6 into each row, column, and
outlined area exactly once.
Tapa
In Tapa, you are to shade cells such that all shaded cells connect orthogonally, and
that there are no 2x2 areas of shaded cells. Clue numbers indicate the length of
consecutive shaded blocks in the neighboring cells. If there is more than one
number in a cell, then there must be at least one white cell between the black cell
groups.
Tatami
In Tatami, you are to place the numbers 1 through N (1-3, here) into each outlined
region exactly once. Every row and column must contain the same amount of each
number, and no two equal digits can be orthogonally adjacent.
Thermometers
In Thermometers, you are to shade cells such that the total number of shaded cells
in clued rows and columns is equal to the clue number outside. Thermometers must
be shaded starting from the bulb and follow the direction of the arrow.
Yin Yang
In Yin Yang, you are to shade cells to form a singular connected group. There
should also be a single connected group of white cells left over. There can be no 2x2
areas of a single color (shaded/unshaded). A white circle denotes a cell that must
not be shaded, whereas a black circle denotes a cell that must be shaded.
 Thank you for trying these puzzles.
Hopefully you’ve found a new puzzle type you enjoy.