The crossword games category contains games that are dedicated to such an ancient form of entertainment as crosswords.

What are crosswords?

As the name suggests, crossword puzzle are based on word intersections. This is a kind of puzzle in which rows of cells are intertwined with each other, and words must be entered into these cells so that they coincide at the intersection points. Also, words should be the answer to the question asked.

Words in games are arranged horizontally or vertically, therefore tasks for crossword games are also given separately for words horizontally and vertically.

Crossword games rules

The rules for crossword games completely repeat the rules by which a classic crossword puzzle is composed:

- for each word in games a definition is provided, which can be expressed both in a text handicap and in the form of a rebus, a combination of numbers, illustrations or puzzles,

- words in crossword games must intersect in several places, and at the intersection points the letter in the word must match,

- uppercase and lowercase letters in crosswords do not differ.

A correctly and beautifully composed crossword puzzle will always be symmetrical about the central axis horizontally and vertically.

Crossword games history

The first crossword puzzle on earth, judging by the findings of historians, was invented before the fourth century AD. A crossword-like puzzle was found in Pompeii and dated back to 79. Scientists argue over which country can be considered the birthplace of crosswords. So far the USA, Great Britain and Italy are fighting for this title.

In the form in which we know crosswords, they first appeared in the 19th century in New York: then the first crossword was published in one of the magazines. But the author of the crossword puzzle in the form in which we know it was the journalist Arthur Wynn, his crossword was published in the newspaper in 1913.

The crossword puzzle has many varieties. A scanword or a Scandinavian crossword puzzle is one in which the words intersect both diagonally and vertically, in almost all cells. The description of the word in scanwords is written in the box before the first letter. An anti-crossword puzzle is a crossword puzzle in which word definitions are not needed, since the player is offered a set of words that he must insert into the grid.

There is also a fileword or Hungarian crossword puzzle, in which the letters of the answers are already written in the box. A special type of crossword games can be called a keyword. In this version of the crossword, it is necessary to restore the original crossword using the keys encrypted in numbers.

With the advent of online games, a three-dimensional crossword or spaceword has become especially popular. In such a crossword puzzle, words are arranged in a special way.

Online crossword games have become most widespread since the late nineties, when crosswords appeared among the very first computer games. Also, computer programs have become very popular in which a person himself can compose crosswords. Among crossword games there are also games that give the player the opportunity for creativity.