  In order to perform numerical simulations of the KPZ equation, in any
dimensionality, a spatial discretization scheme must be prescribed. The known
fact that the KPZ equation can be obtained as a result of a Hopf--Cole
transformation applied to a diffusion equation (with \emph{multiplicative}
noise) is shown here to strongly restrict the arbitrariness in the choice of
spatial discretization schemes. On one hand, the discretization prescriptions
for the Laplacian and the nonlinear (KPZ) term cannot be independently chosen.
On the other hand, since the discretization is an operation performed on
\emph{space} and the Hopf--Cole transformation is \emph{local} both in space
and time, the former should be the same regardless of the field to which it is
applied. It is shown that whereas some discretization schemes pass both
consistency tests, known examples in the literature do not. The requirement of
consistency for the discretization of Lyapunov functionals is argued to be a
natural and safe starting point in choosing spatial discretization schemes. We
also analyze the relation between real-space and pseudo-spectral discrete
representations. In addition we discuss the relevance of the Galilean
invariance violation in these consistent discretization schemes, and the
alleged conflict of standard discretization with the fluctuation--dissipation
theorem, peculiar of 1D.
