We have all heard endless advice about keeping our minds active to stay young but rarely does anyone suggest how to go about this. One of the ways to keep the brain cells busy is through puzzles and these days there are many available completely free on the internet. Over the next few weeks we could have a look at what is out there but today I thought we could start by investigating crossword puzzles.

If you like words, I am sure you will have completed countless crossword puzzles over the years. Computers make it much easier to find puzzles and then fill them in, however, as many of them can be done onscreen through the keyboard. Never again will you have to hunt for a pencil or pen before you can begin!

I looked at just a few sites and tried their puzzles for ease of use, difficulty levels and clarity. My suggestions are below but you can find many more by searching for “free crossword puzzles” on Google. There are lots of sites that offer a daily puzzle but fewer that concentrate only on crosswords and offer hundreds or even thousands. I have included both types in my brief survey:

Think dot com - Daily Crossword - quite difficult but can be completed onscreen.

Crossword Puzzles Games dot com - Thousands of puzzles but must be printed out - difficult.

Best Crosswords dot com - Plenty of puzzles and you can select difficulty - can be completed onscreen. This one would be my choice.

Free Crossword Puzzles dot com - Two free puzzles daily - easy.