The power of Sudoku to improve brain power and keep Alzheimer's and dementia at bay has recently been discredited by science. Sudoku is effective while you are learning it, but its efficacy dilutes once a player knows what they are doing. Why? The answer lies in the art of seeking the semantic, a discipline calling for logic, interpretation, intuition, deduction as well as the ability to filter nuance and connotation. All these and more are bundled in the symmetrical simplicity of a cryptic crossword. All of these are invaluable in increasing your brain power and keeping age-related conditions at bay. David Astle's crosswords appear with fiendish regularity in the Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. He's become the scourge of cryptic crossword afficionados across Australia and has built up a fanatical following over the years. His latest book is for people curious about cryptic crosswords but it will also focus heavily on the brain-benefits of cryptic crosswords and be a crucial aid in helping people help themselves.