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Sorry, I don't know how to post a link, but there is a very interesting article at.

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/the-internet-cheating-game

Turast - very intersting,don't agree with everthing he(or she) but the march of progress is relentless and i don't like a lot of it.
btw. you missed a bit off the end of the address.should be.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/the-internet-cheating-game-2186890.html

i'll make that into a clickable link if it works.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/the-internet-cheating-game-2186890.html"target=_blank> read it here

Thanks for link, very interesting. Myself I wouldn't cheat (unless I was beaten), as there's no challenge or fun in that. I do agree though that the ability to look things up online has ruined some good pub quizzes!

I enjoy a bit of sudoku usually at http://www.sudokufun.com/ and while I would certainly use this site for crossword enlightenment seeing a solved sudoku doesn't give any insight into how to solve it - cheating at sudoku is essentially pointless.

I suppose it depends what one means by cheating. To the purist, even using a dictionary might be considered cheating. But there are some crosswords that would be virtually impossible to complete without a dictionary, and some where a specific dictionary or reference work is actually recommended. And is it cheating to ask help from someone? I used to do the Guardian crossword on the train to work, and compare notes when I arrived with someone who did the same. I thought it was great to share (or discover) a Eureka Moment with a like mind. I think of this forum in a similar way. But it’s child’s play to complete a grid using somebody else’s answers. And I defy any cryptic crossword fan not to enjoy the pleasure of cracking by himself a puzzle like Brummie’s in today’s Guardian.

Like most other solvers, I prefer to complete the grid through my own knowledge or ability, but it is good to share through this particular website. We don't just take answers, we give some too.

Over the years, I have won a number of prizes from the Catholic Herald crossword. The number of times I have been able to complete the grid without reference to a book, are few. Generally, though, I will try to work out what the answer is first, and then confirm it with a text book or concordance.