Zendoku
Sudoku, the puzzle game of numbers, has been done so many times in so many variations, and there are only so many ways you can spoil a game with its variations. A logic puzzle, Sudoku can be solved through sheer doggedness - going through thr digits one to nine until something seemingly fits. Along comes Zendoku, a vivid, cutesy variation of sudoku - that also replaces the numbers sudoku fans adore so much with random Zen symbols, like the yin-yang symbol, temples and sumo wrestlers. It also introduces some battle action - irritating little mini-games that pop up from time to time. One mini-game has you blowing out candles with the microphone (on the DS), while another has you spinning your analog stick (on the PSP) furiously to open a door. They first provide some relief from the brain-thrashing that is sudoku, but become a pain when your puzzle-solving is interrupted and you have to face the same mini-game, over and over again.

In the Zendoku game mode, you use a character to battle against a series of opponents a la Street Fighter. Both you and your opponent also have life bars - yours dwindles over time whereas your oppponet's drops with every sudoku grid you complete. Zendokugets some kudos for trying to inject some life and variety into a rather static logic puzzle. However, if you hope to find some relaxation from this game, you might want to look somewhere else, for Zen this game is not.