Dan

@Anne C. you could say this about any theme that you don’t happen to have direct knowledge of - that’s part of puzzling. In this case I think Mario, as possibly the most iconic video game of all time, is a fair enough theme.

@Morn if you think a clue having multiple potential answers is a problem, I’m not sure you like crosswords.

I think it’s reasonable to assume that an American crossword will have American trivia in them, as difficult and sometimes frustrating as that can be as a Brit. I think a lot of the clues you’ve struggled with are pop culture and that’s always going to be divisive when people inevitably have varied interests! I just take it as a learning opportunity :)

@Grumpy so Mario is in your world - just hasn’t been for a long time. It’s the same as references to something you might have learned at school but not revisited since. My point remains, Mario is not a niche theme, it is a huge part of culture and therefore a fair theme. The fact you first encountered Mario in the 80s and it is still relevant today emphasises this even further. And bless you for thinking I don’t remember the original Game Boy.

@Striker As much as you’re being lighthearted with your point, I genuinely think this is the point that these “groaners” miss - if you feel the crosswords are getting easier, this is likely because you’re getting better and better at solving them. My average time will generally reduce every week, because I’m a better solver than I was when I started. That’s something to enjoy, not to moan about.