In a sign that the Western world is ready for an onslaught of Japanese brain games, the Oxford Dictionary picked "Sudoku" (single numbers) as the "word of the year." The puzzle originally began when a Swiss mathematician invented a grid-based head scratcher called "Latin Squares." The number puzzle was then retitled "Numbler Place" in the 1970s and 80s, when Japanese puzzle mag Nikoli started printing Sudoku. The game is now hailed as a mental workout and an antidote to Alzheimer's. Last year, my wife was really into this, but none of the Sudoku books she bought ever said "Sudoku" in Japanese on them, but simply "Number Place." Explains a lot.

Brits Adore Sudoku [CrissCross]