I almost pride myself on not succumbing to new fads but decided to buck the trend and attempt my very first Sudoku during our holiday. Admittedly, I'd chosen one which was classified as "easy", but still, I managed to do it on my own and within a reasonable amount of time.

It was when I attempted to do the second one that the doubts set in. Using the same technique as my first attempt, I started well and managed to fill in some of the numbers, but reached a stage where my process of elimination ran out of steam and left me unable to proceed any further. It was only at this point that I decided to consult the rules.

Having done so, I realised with horror that my first attempt was actually incorrect and thus null and void! The shame of it!

You see, whilst I'd understood that the same number could not appear more than once in the same row or column, what I hadn't taken account of was the fact that the same number could not appear more than once in the smaller squares within the grid.

Of course, having discovered this, I was able to complete the second puzzle in no time at all. My previous - albeit unknowing - disregard for the rules had, almost ironically, rendered the puzzle considerably more difficult.

I guess sometimes rules are good for you.