Crossword buffs will be pleased to know that the Times
and Sun micro crosswords are now available for the Archimedes.
While I have only seen volumes five and six of the
Times and volume five ofthe Sun, I expect that the older
volumes will eventually become available.
Layout and operation are identical for both, so my comments
apply equally. With the disc you get a 12 page booklet
with comprehensive starting and running instructions.
There's a brief discourse on cryptic crosswords which is very
helpful for beginners, a list ofcommon abbreviations and
another list of the convention indicators abbreviations such
as anagrams, word division and synonyms.
There is also a full solution and analysis of the first puzzle.
The analysis is right in the middle of the booklet, which is a
bit strange. You're liable to start reading it accidentally
before you realise it.
In the booklet you are instructed to press Shift-*- Break to
start. In practice I found that Risc OS would happily run the
boot file from the deskrop, but sadly, a smooth return is not
possible as the exit routine in the program makes a mess of
it.
There are 60 crosswords, which is enough to keep all but
the most dedicated enthusiasts busy for quite a while. As
well as selecting the one of your choice you have the option
of somewhat superfluous sound - just a buzz as letters are
entered on to the grid.
There is an interesting feature whereby two teams of
players can solve the puzzles on the same crossword,
competing against each other on a points basis. Each team
takes it in turn to select a clue and solve it. Obviously, failing
to solve the clue gives it free to the opposing team, so you
can develop quite a complex strategy.
Prompts arefairly clear and the program is simple to use.
After selecting a clue number you have the option of entering
the answer directly or taking advantage of several levels of
help.
You can ask for a hint in the form of the convention
indicator, orthe starting letter can be shown. Later you have
the option to guess, and the computer will indicate which
letters are correct, wrong ones being converted to lower
case.
If all else fails the computer will offer the solution. Using
this feature will subtract the score value from your total.
At any point, through the help system you can cancel with
C and then select another clue to work on, or quit the entire
game using Q. This I found very useful. In fact, I like the way
the help system is set up, as it lets you work at your own
level. When you have completed a game you are given the
number you solved unaided andthe overall time taken.
An annoying omission is a save facility. I would like to be
able to leave an unfinished crossword on the disc and return
to it later but without the save option you must work right
through or start all over again. The whole idea of using a
computer is negated if you have to write down the words you
have found each time you stop.
Crosswords are laid out on an adequate, if uninteresting
grid, more or less as they would appear in the newspaper. No
use is made of the mouse, nor are the Archimedes' graphic
capabilities used. Clearly a standard program is being used
across a wide range of machines of different makes, which
probably makes good economic sense but gives a somewhat
unremarkable and pedestrian effect on the 32-bit machine. A
racehorse in the shafts of a cart is the picture that comes to
mind.
The crosswords themselves are good, being collections of
those used in the respective papers. The style and difficulty
seems very similar for the Sun and Times crosswords. Perhaps
unfairly, I expected the Sun ones to be easier. In the
preface they are described as being a few easy ones among
the hard ones. But to me, a relative novice, they were hard or
harder.
1st September 1989
