Try to throw the puzzle into sudoku.coach’s solver and you’ll find a ton of techniques that completely eliminate the guesswork.
I find sukdokus extremely fun and I never need to guess on a 6/7 out of 10 in difficulty. My suggestion is to take it slow at lower difficulties to get acquainted with the simpler techniques before springing to the harder difficulties.
Yes, except of course The Scene. IIRC only two of the mentioned trackers still exist today.