The next 50 puzzles promise to deliver the wow and the wonder of cryptic clues, as well as the head-spin that comes with tackling such teasers.
We open with a series of six samplers—Formula foretastes—where each mini-puzzle displays its wordplay formula, from anagram to homophone. The approach is designed for familiarity, to get your brain accustomed to the shape and feel of each style, establishing a set of patterns that will slowly permeate your explicit memory.
From there we move to blended puzzles in a series called Recipes revealed, where each clue’s operation is declared in ensuing brackets. This will spare the tyro’s brain from pursuing false trails, as soon that folly will be all yours to enjoy.
Survive those six, resorting to the recipe notes if necessary, and you’ll encounter a further half a dozen, labelled Recipes on request. For this series, each clue’s formula is disclosed below each set of clues. In other words, the urge to peek gets a little less incidental, entailing a conscious decision to seek a friendly nudge if every other avenue has been pursued. Consider this bracket of puzzles—with recipes a glance away—as the nearest thing to solving solo.
That feat is fast approaching. Part Three is dedicated to letting you loose in Cryptopia, but not before one more important detour, visiting a pair of two-speed crosswords. Here two sets of clues—one quick, one cryptic—lead to the same solutions. Again, consult the quick clues only if you need guidance, your chance to confirm where the definition sits within each cryptic clue. Otherwise, if you’re feeling game, ignore the quick clues wholesale, and treat each Two-speed challenge as one-speed only.
After that, beyond these warm-up puzzles, lies a 30-puzzle sequence of lobe-stretching crosswords, with no revelations aside from those your own brain generates. To smooth the way, I’ve arranged this final series according to difficulty, presenting three levels: Friendly (a relative term), Tricky and Gnarly. After that, to test your cerebrum to the max, you have a handful of themed puzzles as the last hurrah. Or aha.
Down the back, to ensure your future eurekas multiply, you’ll find the answers are accompanied by brief notes, letting you see how the different ruses operate, from reversal to manipulation. Sharpen the wits, the pencils, and happy grappling.