Google has been my browser default page since the 90s.
Throughout the years, I have seen google succumb to cheating tactics in their searches.
Is there any alternative?


Here is one of Google's main flaws.
They deleted a viewer number. Then, claimed it was a mistake, and it would not happen again. That is an outright lie.
http://www.infowars.com/articles/ps/internet_google_censors_terrorstorm_again.htm

In order of personal preference:

http://www.altavista.com/

http://www.yahoo.com/

http://www.excite.com/

http://www.lycos.com/

http://www.ask.com/
(haven't used this much)

What we have here is not exactly a reliable source - they don't appear to rely on any other source (other than prisonplanet.com, which appears to be a sister page). This made me laugh - 'evidence' that Google are altering search results - 2 screenshots, of Google first returning no hits, and then 111,000.
http://prisonplanet.com/articles/march2006/230306googlecensoring.htm
Note the slight variations in what's being searched!

google hits you with a lot of garbage that you have to sift through.

vivisimo or cluster groups the results into more specific categories

Scirus are good for scientific searches

I see no reason to suppose that google would lie about it, hardly as if they need to suck up to Alex Jones as a paying customer. They agreed to censor access for China with no apparent shame or disguise about it, and there is nothing to stop them from completely blocking whatever site they wish to.