Puzzles

Hi Woody...which Professor Layton are you stuck on? I've completed the first 2, maybe I could help.

I do the Ladygram which is the best crossword ever. I am addicted to it and have 'The Lady' sent to Germany everyweek. it takes me from Friday to Sunday to get it finished, taking it slow as I enjoy it so much, and you have to know your books and authors.
In between I do The Times Sudoku( fiendish)
I play Bridge with real people once a week and play every evening on the computer together with cribbage and a patience called Miss Milligan.

Do I consider it wasting time? Definitely not. It keeps my brain active and now my brain is more active than my body (OA knees).

Crikey, what a clever lot you are! Do not have the patience for Sudoku I'm afraid - but have to own up to enjoying jigsaw puzzles - the bigger, the better - and just the Saturday crossword in the Times - the big one with the easiest clues!

Can I get Scrabble online free, without having to go on Facebook, does anyone know?

I have been playing scrabble on facebook, very enjoyable and keeps the brain active (and it's free)

Sounds good to me Granny23. I won't reveal my times...

I do puzzles on Games at Miniclip, usually in the night when I can't sleep due to restless leg. I (think) I am a dab hand at sudoku but as it is non competative I am not sure. Under 5 minutes for EASY, 7.5 for Medium and 10 for Hard are my averages - Is that good or not? I have been first in the World on the daily Mahjong, but cheated by starting at 12.59am and finishing at 1.01am. The new list of top scores starts at 1.00am!

Also play bookworm, various card games, sims and virtual villagers. Freely admit I am addicted.

I like crosswords, and like watching detective dramas, which are puzzles really. You get the clues and try to work out whodunit.

I would play scrabble but my husband doesn't like it - he likes chess, but I don't. Chess is too much like hard work. Anyway, a Croatian boyfriend taught it to me in Vienna when I was 20. His names for the pieces were different, and I still use the names he taught me then: horses and castles and soldiers etc. instead of knights and rooks and pawns. Well, I do try to get 'pawn' right but it comes out as prawn. I think soldier is better. Anyway, the word arguments aren't worth the bother either.

I just remembered something. When I was a young lass - in the 1950s and 60s - we used to get these little puzzles that were twisted metal things that you had to work out how to separate. They kept you busy when you were bored - a bit like those games they get on their mobiles these days I suppose.

And I never got on with the Rubic cube - perhaps I was too old when they came out.

I tend to have phases of interest. At one time I really liked codewords, but have got bored. Similarly, those logic puzzles about four people living in different places with different pets and professions or whatever. I really liked kakuro for a while, but they take so long to do – at least, I take so long to do them, so now it's killer sudoku. I find ordinary sudoku a bit dull but, again, that might just be because they take me a long time to do as I keep missing the blindingly obvious.

I have given up on my Nintendo as I got so far on "Professor Layton and the ............" and couldnt get past one particular point and it kept taking me back to the start, I was obviously doing something wrong but dont know what, may get it out again when I feel more patient. "Artygran" I love bejewelled too but find I waste so much time on it just trying to beat my friends score!

My son offered me brain trainer for my DS but I have given the DS up for a bit - I spent so long on it at one time, it gave me something akin to RSI and a fair bit of pain. It was beginning to get addictive - a bit like Gransnet! Glad I'm not the only one who appears to be "number blind" though!

I do brain training on my Nintendo DS. I can actually reach the optimum brain age of 20 ( I am 65). So why can't I manage Sudoku any more?

Love crosswords, both GK and cryptic, love quizzes, but anything with numbers, as in Sudoku, and I run a mile!

(daft really, as part of my job involves working out costs for some projects, but I just feel that I am a word person, not a number one)

I'm definitely a puzzler...love doing crosswords except the cryptic ones, I just can't work them out! Also, love my DS (Nintendo as well as dear son!) and OH and I attempt the Polygon in Times2 every day. Sudoku and KenKen - depends how I'm feeling. Have to work all those muscles, including the brain, if we don't want to get rusty....

Sudoku ...but not the 'killer' ones; also Scrabble and backgammon on my Nintendo ...oh, and the card games on my laptop ...must keep the grey cells active ...so what if the dust is still there tomorrow

I love Sudoku but cannot do very hard ones (moderate is highest I can go) and even then the propelling pencil & rubber take a hammering. Have also taken to Sujiko in Telegraph - just convince myself that it keeps dementia at bay for a little longer.

I really enjoy the crossword in Times2. We photocopy it and husband, son and I try to outdo each other to finish it while we eat lunch. How sad is that!!

I try to do crosswords on line before I get up. Unfortunately it's too easy to cheat! I also frequent an internet sudoku site. I am very good at displacement activities of which GN is another!

I like Sudoku, but not too difficult. I also like Crosswords but have not got my brain trained to manage the cryptic ones yet! (it will be a long time coming I think). Agree that they are a great time waster - a whole evening can just disappear

i do crosswords, getting better at cryptics now, like most word puzzles, useless at sudoku tho.

I love puzzles - Sudoku, but not too difficult, and Word games either on paper / or book or on the internet [eastoftheweb.com]. Feel guilty though as they are time consuming and I should really be doing something useful like cleaning or writing

They were my favourite pencils when I was working!

Times2 is not allowed to be out out for recycling until I have completed all three Sudoku and two Killer Sudoku puzzles. I get through a lot of propelling pencils with eraser tops!!!

I can't do sudoku either green, even the easy ones! My son is particularly good at the Telegraph cryptic crossword and tried to coach me in cryptic clues - he gave up in despair! I love codewords and general knowledge crosswords. I have just reached the end of Cradle of Rome on the Nintendo DS, and feel at a bit of a games loose end..... Bejewelled anyone?

I had to be very strong with myself because I was playing solitaire in bed and late into the wee small hours on my Nintendo. Now I deliberately don't charge it for that reason !