Thomas Snyder (aka Dr. Sudoku) is a two-time World Sudoku Champion and five-time US Puzzle Champion, as well as the author of several books of puzzles. His puzzles are hand-crafted, with artistic themes, serving as a kind of “cure for the common sudoku.” Each week he posts a new puzzle on his blog, The Art of Puzzles. This week’s prescription deals with Nurikabe, a puzzle that involves identifying some islands in the midst of a large ocean.
It's not always possible to execute a puzzle theme perfectly, certainly within a limited time; however, when the intermediate steps are fun, some latitude should be allowed. Here is an almost "2-4-6-8" Nurikabe I hope you will still appreciate.
Instructions:
Shade some empty cells black so that the grid is divided into white areas, each containing exactly one number and with the same area as that number. Two white areas may only touch diagonally. All black cells must be connected with each other, but no 2x2 square of cells can be entirely shaded black. Or see here for a tutorial.
Example:
Puzzle:
