Sudoku Help - Analysis Depth

Here's a page from the extensive help system for Sudoku Dragon. It is available as a help screen when running the program. To get the full picture Download our Sudoku Dragon and see the screen in its context.

We now offer an alternative product only available for download from Microsoft Store. This shares many features but not all of them. For documentation of the SudokuDragon for Store version see its separate help section.

As you tackle harder Sudoku puzzles you will need more complex solution strategies. Sudoku Dragon lets you set the current difficulty level. This controls what possibilities are used in the hints and on the puzzle display itself. It has four levels that you can set using the View menu or the View Highlighting options screen.

When set to No highlighting the possibilities in the grid are not color highlighted at all. It will display possibilities that are actually not possible because of the more advanced rules.

The next level Forced allocations highlights squares solvable with the only choice and only square allocation rules but does not use any of the exclusion rules.

To give help on possibilities that are excluded select the Exclusions option. This then will try to use the naked and hidden twin) and excluded shared sub-group rules to highlight excluded possibilities and in the Grid Possibilities side panel.

Finally for really tough puzzles select the Advanced Exclusions option so you can see squares that can be solved (or possibilities excluded) using advanced strategies including X-Wing; Swordfish and Alternate Pairs.

If you are an expert you may prefer to keep the analysis depth at a low level so you work out the more complex squares for yourself.