3-Dimensional Crosswords

We are familiar the regular cryptic crossword, the 2-dimensional kind. Ever imagined what a 3-dimensional crossword would look like?

These smart people at Sirius 3D Crosswords have not just visualized them but gone ahead and created such puzzles. The 3D puzzles have not just ACROSS and DOWN solutions but a third kind called AWAY intersecting the other two. In addition to the usual cryptic clues, there are also interesting visual clues.

Such as this one , which stands for TIMETABLE.

The puzzles at Sirius 3D Crosswords use a calendar for their framework. There's a clue for each day and a grid for each month. The 2009 puzzle is currently going on – check out the January 2009 puzzle on this page. Each month's grid and clues become available when that month starts. There is a prize for each grid and a trophy for the solver of the complete Calendar Puzzles 2009.

Puzzle downloads on the site are free; you're encouraged to donate to charitable institutions if you wish. The site has a foreword by Araucaria. An excerpt:

As a crossword setter I am always trying to think of new ideas. Inevitably the same old words crop up all the time, and inevitably with most of the same old clues, the same old grids. The invention of jigsaw crosswords was one successful innovation; and here we have another: the 3D crossword…

…At first I expect most of us will find it difficult to get into the third dimension - but persevere:  I believe you will find it very well worth while.
Araucaria.

The idea interests me for its novelty but I'm not sure if adding dimensions to the grid makes the crossword-solving experience any better. It would perhaps be a fun challenge for the crossword compiler, and solvers with an eye for visualization would relish it.

You might also enjoy reading:

• Killer Clue: An ominous cryptic clue in a Jeffrey Archer short story
• New York Times Election Day Crossword: Word fills with a twist!
• Cryptic Crosswords Guide: An introduction to the world of cryptic crosswords
• The Silicon Valley Puzzle Day 2009: Cryptic crossword workshops held annually in California, US

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