I have to admit, I am not much of a Sudoku player. Not because I don't like it, but because I am horrendously slow at it and I always feel inadequate playing since my wife is about twice as fast as me solving puzzles on even a much higher difficulty. However, I sucked up my gumption and thought I would give Finger Arts latest release a try.

Sudoku 2 HD Pro is simple enough. Tapping play will start you off with successive difficulty levels which will only be unlocked after beating the previous difficulty twice. Fortunately, there is a super easy mode called "Flash".

I won't go over the play mechanics of Sudoku, instead let's elaborate what Sudoku 2 HD Pro does to enhance the game on iPad. After your game starts you have numbers on the bottom (portrait) or on the sides (landscape). To place a number on screen, tap the space you wish to place the number to and then tap the number. Once placed, other numbers on the sudoku board will have a green highlight to them. This helps you by pointing out other numbers so you can isolate where to play your next number. You can do this for any number at any time, you don't have to place a number, instead simply tap any number in the field and it will highlight the same number tiles in green.

If you are not sure what number to play, you can use the convenient drawing tool to place the numbers you think might be needed on a particular tile on the board. To do this, tap the empty tile on the board then the drawing icon. Next, just tap the number(s) you want in the space and you are done. The game will even remove all obsolete notes in a tile once the correct tile is placed. If you get stuck, you can also tap the hint button. You are allowed three hints per game. The hint will highlight the suggested corresponding next move (you are also allowed three mistakes that don't count against your score. The devs feel this is the appropriate number to include accidental screen taps).

Once you register for OpenFeint you can start playing games and saving your high scores online, but you still have some options to choose from. First You have your typical volume and music volume levels. Next you have game specific options to turn off the auto green tile select for like numbers. This is an incredibly useful option that can help you spot patterns more easily. I would only turn this off if you are a gluten for punishment.

The OpenFeint integration is really a nice added bonus to the game. Typically Sudoku games are individual but this adds a layer of social-ness to the game. You can see who has the highest score (this is calculated by the number you are placing... errr, it's a really fancy formula) and it also keeps track of your runs (a run is an uninterrupted sequence of games own) and achievements!

I really like Sudoku Pro 2 and will be playing it for months to come. Perhaps one day I will even break the 10,000 point barrier, but likely not the current point leader with a whopping 105,622 point lead...

[$2.99- iTunes Link]