Sudoku, the next great thing since the crossword puzzle?

I must admit I have never heard of a "hugely popular" game called Sudoku until today, when most Australian newspapers sing praise about it and will begin offering it to readers on a daily basis.

Basically, Sudoku is a puzzle which involves an 9x9 grid. This main grid is then divided into 9 3x3 sub-grids (or boxes). The rule of the puzzle, according to the official site, is to "fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9." Some of the numbers are given. The player then figures out the rest.

A typical puzzle looks like this:

Unlike crossword puzzle, solving the Sudoku puzzle only involves pure reasoning and requires no literary or mathematical skills.

The Sudoku program is created by a retired Hong Kong judge Wayne Gould.