January's Cash Prize Puzzles - Plate Tech.

[DGR]

Has any one else had a problem with this puzzle? I have followed the square spiral round puting in the listed words with the last two letters of a word forming the first two of th next word (starting with CELLOPHANE) and the three letters already entered have been picked up correctly but I am left with one seven letter word - ABSENCE - not used. There are five space left at the end and the last word before these last five spaces I have as LEGALISE which should make the last word in the spiral SE????? so I cannot use ABSENCE as the last word. Not only that but no other of the given words except CELLOPHANE begins with CE or ends with AB. CELLOPHANE seems to be the correct start word and I cannot make it work out starting with any of the other given words. The answer to the puzzle is ONE OF EARTH'S PLATES and with the way I have fitted the words int the spiral, reading down the circled letters gives me PECOG which is nothing like any of the Earth's Plates that I have seen listed.
Sorry for the length of this, but it's difficult to explain the problem more succinctly.
An thoughts on this would be most welcome.