Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

Just to make it easier to consult! I'm sure many of you will still have qq & aa on the content AND unfortunately still on the non-working state of the G's technology, so here's your chance! 120 postings in one day was slowly getting too much (even if half of them were from me!)!!!

I have s'thing to add already: G. editor has replied to my complaint, but only to say (in other words) (a) it must be MY fault and (b) that I should consult their UserHelp address, which, as I'd explained to him in my very first sentence, I'd done already --- and they of course have NOT answered (yet)! I stll get the response on my screen "JRE collision", which means absolutely nothing to me. Having tried & failed to re-install Java Scsript's latest update
I am now dependent on a friend in England being willing AND ABLE to submit my solution for me!
Quite honestly this recurrent technical nightmare is making me wonder whether it's worth doing Genius at all: it was a great puzzle, but the consistently bad service provided by the paper continues to frustrate rather than to satisfy. Any more left to be said???!!!

With greate respect GK, the puzzle can only be "great" if all the peices are available. They were not.

Anyway, the special instructions are available as of this morning (Tuesday).

You may be right, james , but I still can't access , let alone submit the puzzle! Does that mean the "JRE" thing really is "my fault"? In any case, I had no intention of over-praising the thing. My impression remains, Boatman is an interesting setter, but the technical set-up of the site is abominable. Perhaps not without reason I've still had no reply on that point! Let's agree , you have to love this puzzle to get anywhere with it -- especially at the end!

Well I finished the puzzle without the instructions in the preamble - fortunately, because I can't understand them. Still, I think the Grauniad should give a prize to all those who submitted their solution before the instructions were published, although I'm not sure that all my answers are correct......

I completely agree, tho' I'm sure they won't do that of course: they don't even answer complaints directly.

At least one doesn't have to pay a subscription for the puzzles, so we shouldn't complain too much........otherwise they might reinstate the charge.

I wasn't aware there ever was one for the Guardian puzzles, as when I did them in the past in other countries without computer I either bought the paper at the shop or not. Is that true?

Yes - you used to have to pay an annual fee to access the crosswords. I can't remember when this practice ceased, but they probably decided that the cost of collecting the money amounted to more than the actual fees themselves.

'Quite honestly this recurrent technical nightmare is making me wonder whether it's worth doing Genius at all: it was a great puzzle, but the consistently bad service provided by the paper continues to frustrate rather than to satisfy.'

Couldn't agree more, GK! The Genius has lost its sparkle for me too. I resigned myself to never being able to enter the competition due to Java problems; being able to access the print version, do the puzzle and join in the discussion was enough for me.

But the Grauniad has whittled away at that, too: the print version became unavailable (until someone here worked out that if you added any number to the URL, it would appear - how bad is that for a national newspaper's website?)

Then the Genius appeared with bits missing: clue lengths, black squares, instructions. How can they get it wrong so often?

This month I printed it out and got a few clues but was at a loss as to the theme (there obviously was one, from the answers I had). I decided to wait and see if the Grauniad managed to cobble together the correct crossword - sounds like they have. I might give it a go.

I feel sorry for the chap who said he took time off to do the Genius: I recognise that enthusiasm (I used to set aside the first Monday, too), but mine's been depleted by the uselessness of the service.

Glad you managed to submit it, GK. Good luck, you shouldn't have too many competitors to worry about!