What's new in Crossword Express (formerly MagnumOpus) 20190106
Feb 7, 2019
- This version corrects a long standing problem with the Auxiliary Keyboard feature used within the Dictionary Maintenance function. Until now, the Windows version of the function failed to display any Unicode character beyond u08FF. The Mac OS X version however has always behaved correctly.
New in Crossword Express (formerly MagnumOpus) 20180508 (Jun 30, 2018)
- This version introduces a Web Application which creates an interactive environment for solving GOKIGEN puzzles. An option is provided in the menu bar of the Gokigen Construction screen to export all of the software resources you will need to establish a fully interactive Gokigen solving facility within your own web site. Full instructions to guide you through this process are included under the Help menu item of the Gokigen Construction screen
New in Crossword Express (formerly MagnumOpus) 20180114 (Jan 15, 2018)
- This version introduces a Web Application which creates an interactive environment for solving MINESWEEPER puzzles. An option is provided in the menu bar of the MINESWEEPER Construction screen to export all of the software resources you will need to establish a fully interactive MINESWEEPER solving facility within your own web site. Full instructions to guide you through this process are included under the Help menu item of the Minesweeper Construction screen.
New in Crossword Express (formerly MagnumOpus) 20171125 (Nov 27, 2017)
- This version introduces a Web Application which creates an interactive environment for solving SUDOKU puzzles. An option is provided in the menu bar of the Sudoku Construction screen to export all of the software resources you will need to establish a fully interactive Sudoku solving facility within your own web site. Full instructions to guide you through this process are included under the Help menu item of the Sudoku Construction screen. A working example of this Web-App is available here.
- Crossword Express users who intend to submit their puzzles for inclusion in the New York Times can now make use of a print option which creates a Submission Document in accordance with the specification provided by the publisher. Since the publishers of other newspapers and magazines have different specifications for this task, consideration will be given to creating similar print options to meet these varying requirements. If you have such a need, please forward details of the required formats by email.
New in Crossword Express (formerly MagnumOpus) 20171030 (Nov 8, 2017)
- This version introduces the first of a proposed series of Web Applications. An option is provided in the menu of the Standard Crossword Construction screen to export all of the software resources you will need to establish a fully interactive crossword solving facility within your own web site. Full instructions to guide you through this process are included under the Help menu item of the Crossword Construction screen.
New in Crossword Express (formerly MagnumOpus) 20170818 (Aug 18, 2017)
- When creating a Free-form puzzle, a graphic image contained in any of the file types BMP, GIF, JPG or PNG located anywhere on your hard drive can now be inserted into the puzzle to fill all of the spaces not occupied by a puzzle letter. If you decide to use this feature, the program gives you an opportunity to select certain cells of the puzzle which will then not have letters placed in them as the puzzle is built. In this way, you can ensure that key portions of the underlying graphic are not obscured by the puzzle
New in Crossword Express (formerly MagnumOpus) 20170610 (Jun 9, 2017)
- Corrected a problem which prevented the operation of the single click program update function.
New in Crossword Express (formerly MagnumOpus) 20170605 (Jun 5, 2017)
- Contains necessary corrections for problems encountered with Version 20170601.
New in Crossword Express (formerly MagnumOpus) 20170220 (Feb 20, 2017)
- INTRODUCING KILLER SUDOKU:
- KILLER SUDOKU puzzles have much in common with standard SUDOKU puzzles. They are solved by placing numbers into the puzzles in such a way that every row, column and 3X3 box contains each of the numbers 1 thru 9. However, there are no prefilled cells in the puzzle to get you started. Instead, the cells of the puzzle are collected into groups called cages having random shapes and sizes. Each cage includes a one or two digit score which is the sum of all the solution digits for the cells within the cage. Many innovative techniques are available to use this information to complete the solution.
- Puzzles can be made in a range of difficulty levels, and options are provided to print the puzzles, or to export them either to the Clipboard or to the Hard Drive in an extensive range of graphic formats. An Interactive Solve function allows you to solve them within the program, and a hint function can be used to provide you with instructions relating to the various solving techniques.
New in Crossword Express (formerly MagnumOpus) 20160831 (Sep 2, 2016)
- This version of Crossword Express introduces the OUROBOROS puzzle. If you do a lot of crossword puzzles, you may recognize this word as the name of the ancient symbol showing a snake swallowing its tail and there is an element of that idea in this puzzle. Looking at the puzzle, you can see that it is really just a long loop of letters which has been folded into the area of a square. If you trace around this loop you will find that the letters spell out a series of words, with each word starting in the cell which immediately follows the last letter of the previous word. However, the loop can be traversed in two directions, and regardless of the direction of traversal, an unbroken series of words will be read out. The words are different for each direction of traversal, but exactly the same letters are used, regardless of the direction. There are many similarities between this and the familiar example of a palindrome.
New in Crossword Express (formerly MagnumOpus) 20160723 (Jul 25, 2016)
- Included a new type of puzzle called Word-Weave. Any Word-Search puzzle can also be printed as a Word-Weave puzzle. The puzzle grid does not contain any letters, and the words to be placed in the grid are allocated a number. These numbers are placed in the grid in the top left hand corner of the cell which will contain the first letter of the word. Hence you can immediately place a letter into each of the numbered cells. It might appear that this will be an easy puzzle to solve, but remember that the orientation of the words can be in any of a maximum of eight different directions and this can make the solution of some puzzles quite tricky to complete. If you find them too easy for your taste, you can elect to make them quite a bit harder by printing the puzzle with clues rather than words.
New in Crossword Express (formerly MagnumOpus) 20160709 (Jul 11, 2016)
- Introduced an additional Solve function intended for audience participation. It is similar to the standard Solve function, except that only a single clue is displayed at a time, and the puzzle is displayed in a much larger format. The intention is that the puzzle be displayed using a video projector or big screen digital TV connected by an HDMI cable to the computer running Crossword Express. This configuration has been found useful for the entertainment of residents of retirement homes, and teachers find that students enjoy solving puzzles in this way.
New in Crossword Express (formerly MagnumOpus) 20160620 (Jun 22, 2016)
- The Crossword Solve function has been completely rewritten. The presentation is now the same as a printed crossword, with all of the clues continuously visible in the Solve window. The clue associated with the current word is highlighted for greater convenience. A mouse click on any clue will move the puzzle focus to the word associated with that clue. A mouse click on the currently highlighted clue will start your default web browser, and send the current clue to Google as a search string. This results in the familiar list of web pages which will usually provide the answer you seek.
New in Crossword Express (formerly MagnumOpus) 20160505 (May 6, 2016)
- Crossword printouts can now contain a new element called a WordPool which contains a list of words. The list contains all of the words in the puzzle, along with an equal number of words selected randomly from the dictionary which was used to construct the puzzle. If the puzzle is constructed with, for example, French words and English clues (Dictionary Maintenance provides a download option for a wide range of such dictionaries), the puzzle becomes a very powerful aid in the teaching of French vocabulary for language students.
- This version introduces a convenient upgrade system. The opening screen contains a new button which will be displayed in red if the program detects the existence of a newly upgraded version. A single click of this button will download and install the new version.
New in Crossword Express (formerly MagnumOpus) 20160216 (Feb 17, 2016)
- The crossword Web App now provides a feature which school teachers can use to publish interactive puzzles relating to subjects currently being taught in class. Up to five puzzles may be published simultaneously and students can easily select the puzzle nominated by the teacher.
New in Crossword Express (formerly MagnumOpus) 20160120 (Jan 20, 2016)
- SUDOKU puzzles can now be made in any of 19 difficulty levels. The Tasks/Request a Hint menu option in the SUDOKU solve function now provides a detailed explanation of how each solution technique is applied.
New in Crossword Express (formerly MagnumOpus) 20151217 (Dec 18, 2015)
- Introduced one new difficulty level into SUDOKU puzzles.
New in Crossword Express (formerly MagnumOpus) 20151126 (Nov 30, 2015)
- Minor corrections and improvements.
New in Crossword Express (formerly MagnumOpus) 20150903 (Sep 3, 2015)
- Introduced two new difficulty levels into SUDOKU puzzles. Enhanced Hint system for the Sudoku solve function. Upgraded the Sudoku Web-App to include the new difficulty levels.
New in Crossword Express (formerly MagnumOpus) 20150723 (Jul 30, 2015)
- Seven years have passed since the demise of the original Crossword Express due to software piracy, and the subsequent introduction of its replacement called Magnum Opus. With this release, the name has reverted to Crossword Express.
- Refinements to the Help system.
New in Crossword Express (formerly MagnumOpus) 20150723 (Jul 23, 2015)
- Seven years have passed since the demise of the original Crossword Express due to software piracy, and the subsequent introduction of its replacement called Magnum Opus. With this release, the name has reverted to Crossword Express.
- Refinements to the Help system.
New in Crossword Express (formerly MagnumOpus) 20140822 (Jun 12, 2015)
- Help system overhauled, so that all of the Help files are contained within the Magnum Opus download package. This means that the Help system will be fully operational, even if a live Internet connection is not currently available.
New in Crossword Express (formerly MagnumOpus) 20140805.1 (Aug 11, 2014)
- â—¦Minor corrections to the Web Apps for Crossword and Sudoku.
New in Crossword Express (formerly MagnumOpus) 20140805 (Aug 5, 2014)
- A dictionary download function is now available. The dictionaries are downloaded from the Magnum Opus web site and placed directly into the computer's hard drive. The downloaded dictionaries are immediately available for use in crossword puzzle construction.
New in Crossword Express (formerly MagnumOpus) 20140606 (Jun 17, 2014)
- Word-search Puzzles are now checked to ensure that none of the words in the puzzle are inadvertently duplicated.
- Also checked to ensure that they do not contain any words from a list of "offensive" words entered by the user.
- Minor corrections to the Acrostic build function.
- Other minor enhancements throughout the program.
New in Crossword Express (formerly MagnumOpus) 20140128 (Feb 27, 2014)
- Withdrawal of all Java Applets, due to the security hazards which they represent. Web Applications will progressively be developed to replace the Applets.
- Significant additional features added to the Acrostic build function.
- Other minor enhancements throughout the program.
New in Crossword Express (formerly MagnumOpus) 20131111 (Nov 13, 2013)
- Full implementation of the Gokigen Web Application has been included.
- Major changes to the appearance of the opening screen of Magnum Opus.