Hybrid era for crossword fans

Photo: Adam Kuban

Crossword puzzle fans are no longer restricted to newspapers and books. It's now possible to do puzzles online, checking your work as you go. Saves the frustration of erasing and smudging the newsprint, but translates into even more hours in front of the computer.

My favourite is New York Times Crossword. But now I have a hybrid option. New technology notwithstanding, I still like the hands-on feeling of pencil and paper, so I sit at the table and fill in what I can, circling the clues I'm sure I don't know and can't guess. I go to the computer and google these, then return to the table and finish there.

If there's a blank I don't know but can't search for, there's always Rex Parker. He has the puzzle done within a few hours. Numerous options there. I look only at the one answer I want to see, moving the completed puzzle up or down the screen so I don't unconsciously see answers I'm not looking at. Or I can check out Rex's archive for the answer to a puzzling clue.