Welcome to Quizzical

QUIZZICAL is a new concept in quizzing/puzzling.

Bored with the traditional question-and-answer format of quizzing, the creators of QUIZZICAL have created a new series of formats which test the user on both knowledge AND ability to rationalise through a problem.

We have devised various formats of quiz games which involve testing knowledge by either interrogating subjects from an unusual angle or posing various questions with an overall goal in mind.

Many of our formats contain what I call, the all-important "erosion effect". To demonstrate what I mean by "erosion effect", I need look no further than that old favourite, the crossword puzzle.

Consider a typical crossword puzzle with about 30 clues to answers arranged horizontally and vertically on a grid. Now while some people may be able to find all 30 answers to each clue in isolation without reference to the grid, they will be a tiny minority. It is more likely that the solver will complete some answers immediately and as more letters are added to the grid, this will benefit them in answering some hitherto "unanswerable" clues. This process ideally continues until the whole grid is complete. This gradual "chipping away" with some erstwhile difficult clues/questions, becoming answerable because of the support of previous correct answers being placed is what I call the "erosion effect" and its importance should not be underestimated.

When Arthur Wynne placed the world's first crossword puzzle in New York World's Fun Section in December 1913, little did he know that within ten or so years most daily journals in the English-speaking world would have similar features in place. The Crossword succeeded over other formats, I would argue, because it had the "erosion effect" as an inherent feature. If you want a more recent example - look at sudoku - very big in the "erosion effect"!

Crosswords and Sudoku are of course puzzles. Here at QUIZZICAL we are primarily about the quiz and have realised that, for the quiz aficionado, we will need something more than just a bland list-of-questions-with-answer-at-the-back format.

Have a look at just a few of the formats on our site and play our free interactive scanagram, initiation or cinemalinks quizzes. Better still, download our sample magazine for a better overview of what QUIZZICAL is all about.

Happy quizzing!

Jim