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I'm not (or rather wasn't) an aficionado so don't know if the shortcut replicates the original game or not.

Lumen, no, there are no diagonal winding entries.

10. Groups with year to replace primarily unsafe out-of-date enemas

18 Comfortably win in the end after second offensive

24 Shelter around point to the west

10. Eight letters. Word for groups with U changed to Y for an old world for enemas.

18. First word is definition. 6 letters, last four letters a word for unattractive.

24. Five letters. Defn shelter (what you might find on a ship).

What held me up was assuming the clashes were two letters vying for one cell. The five affected cells hold more than that.

So even some straight clues can have more letters than indicated somehow?
You say 10a is 8 and I have 20a with 9, but not sure why yet.

For 20a, the first two letters are squeezed into the first cell, and they will be joined by three others from 16.

Two thoughts - it is not clear from the preamble whether we have to draw in the route and whether we have to avoid certain clashing cells (I assume the latter.

Also, the title means nothing to me and does not help to identify the theme, unless I'm (probably) missing something.

Hmm I now find 10a and 10d start with different letters.

Thanks orson ... got 10 and 18 now.

That's right, lumen. Those different letters go into the first cell.

Can only think the title is a reference to the five ('v') characters? 'Clue two I' might be ref. to answer to 21?

I've discovered that this is the fourth in a series of puzzles from eXternal beginning Clue Two I, II and III. I the first one, there was a hint in the second clue, but there is no hint to the theme here in either 2a or the second clues of the other sections that I can see.

I don't like titles like this as it's only for those who are in the know, and so rather cliquey.