Crossword Puzzle Challenge Enough?

So what about those crossword puzzles?  Does doing them help maintain mental acuity?  I'd like to think so. I inherited the crossword puzzle gene from both sides of my family and have been doing these puzzles ever since I learned to read. 
Which means that there are well-worn pathways in my brain for figuring out words that lead to other words that reveal quips and quotes and sundry other themes.  Which means that, for me, crossword puzzles don't meet the requirements for a novel, challenging activity that builds new pathways. 
I'm challenging my brain with soduku, which has had the added benefit of sending me to search engines for help figuring out how to solve them.  I found this site useful: http://www.sudokucentral.com/how-to-solve-sudoku.  Using search engines has been found useful for 'brain training'.  Type 'how to solve soduku' into your favorite search engine and investigate several sites to find the one most helpful to you!
From a scientific point of view, the jury is still out on whether doing puzzles and games helps maintain brain function.  There's agreement, though, that it can't hurt and it's better than doing nothing.