This is a tricky one

Start at the X and try to land exactly on the O. The numbers on the sides indicate how many steps you must take in that direction. You must step the full number, and you must stay within the 5x5 square. If you can't stay inside, pick another direction.

Good luck!



                         |     |     |     |     |     |   
                         |  4  |  3  |  3  |  2  |  3  |
                     ------------------------------------------
                         |     |     |     |     |     |   
                      3  |     |     |     |     |     |  2
                         |     |     |     |     |     |   
                     ------------------------------------------
                         |     |     |     |     |     |   
                      2  |     |     |     |     |     |  2
                         |     |     |     |     |     |   
                     ------------------------------------------
                         |     |     |     |     |     |   
                      3  |     |     |  O  |     |     |  2
                         |     |     |     |     |     |   
                     ------------------------------------------
                         |     |     |     |     |     |   
                      2  |     |     |     |     |     |  4
                         |     |     |     |     |     |   
                     ------------------------------------------
                         |     |     |     |     |     |   
                      2  |     |     |  X  |     |     |  4
                         |     |     |     |     |     |   
                     ------------------------------------------
                         |  3  |  4  |  3  |  3  |  4  |
                         |     |     |     |     |     |   
                       

WNESWENWSNESNWE by Gorgonzola
2002.01.22@21:03 bis says re maze: the shortest solution is WNEEWSNESNWE, according to my by-hand reverse breadth-first search....
Made from an original by Andrea Gilbert

Here is an example of a more traditional maze than bigmouth strikes' clever number puzzle. More pendantic noders night even argue that that was not truly a maze connsidering the lack of walls and such. Please note:

  • The maze below is not a very tough example, given that you could walk with one hand on the wall and eventually reach the end. More sophisticated designs prevent this from happening by surrounding the end point with walls which do not connect to the outer boundary.
  • Contrast against a labyrinth which actually has no choices and exists primarily for the contemplative mindset one falls into while tracing its path.
    -------------|-----------------------------|-----------------------------------\
    Start        |                             |                                   |
    /----------  |  |-----|  |  |  |--------|  |  |-----|--|  |--------------|--|  |
    |               |     |  |  |  |        |     |     |  |                 |  |  |
    |  /------------|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |--|  |  |  |------|----|--|  |  |  |
    |  |               |     |  |     |  |  |        |  |  |      |    |  |        |
    |  |  |----|-------|-----|  |-----|  |  |--------|  |  |------|  |    |  |-----|
    |  |       |             |        |  |              |  |      |  |----|--|     |
    |  |----|  |  |-------|  |-----|  |  |--------------|  |--|                 |  |
    |  |       |  |       |  |     |  |                 |     |-----------------|  |
    |  |  |----|  |  |-|  |  |  |  |  |-----|  |--|--|  |  |  |                    |
    |  |          |  | |        |  |  |     |  |     |     |  |-----|  |-----------|
    |  |----------|  | |--------|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |-----|  |     |              |
    |  |             | |           |  |  |  |  |  |           |  |--|  |--------|  |
    |  |  |----------| |  |--------|  |  |  |  |  |-----------|  |              |  |
    |  |  |            |  |           |  |--|  |              |  |-----------|--|  |
    |  |  |  |---------|--|  |--------|        |--------------|              |     |
    |  |  |                  |        |  |-----|              |-----------|  |  |  |
    |  |  |------------------|--|  |     |        |---|----|    Finish    |  |  |  |
    |  |  |                     |--|  |--|-----|      |    |  |--------|  |  |  |  |
    |  |  |            |-----|        |        |------|    |           |  |  |  |  |
    |  |  |  |------|        |--------|-----|  |           |--------|  |  |  |  |  |
    |  |  |         |-----|           |     |  |  |--|  |           |  |  |  |  |  |
    |  |  |------|  |     |--------|  |  |  |  |  |     |-----------|  |  |  |  |  |
    |  |            |  |  |           |  |     |  |  |                 |     |  |  |
    |  |------------|--|  |  |-----|  |  |-----|  |  |--|-----------|  |  |--|  |  |
    |                     |  |        |        |  |     |              |     |  |  |
    |---------------------|  |  |-----|-----|  |  |  |--|------|-------|  |  |  |  |
    |                     |  |                          |      |       |  |     |  |
    |  |------------------|  |--------------------------|---|  |  |----|  |-----|  |
    |                                                          |                   |
    \---------------------|--|--------------------------|---|--|-------|--|--------/
    
  • Maze (?), n. [OE. mase; cf. OE. masen to confuse, puzzle, Norweg. masast to fall into a slumber, masa to be continually busy, prate, chatter, Icel. masa to chatter, dial. Sw. masa to bask, be slow, work slowly and lazily, mas slow, lazy.]

    1.

    A wild fancy; a confused notion.

    [Obs.]

    Chaucer.

    2.

    Confusion of thought; perplexity; uncertainty; state of bewilderment.

    3.

    A confusing and baffling network, as of paths or passages; an intricacy; a labyrinth.

    "Quaint mazes on the wanton green."

    Shak.

    Or down the tempting maze of Shawford brook. Wordaworth.

    The ways of Heaven are dark and intricate, Puzzled with mazes, and perplexed with error. Addison.

    Syn. -- Labyrinth; intricacy. See Labyrinth.

     

    © Webster 1913.


    Maze (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mazed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Mazing.]

    To perplex greatly; to bewilder; to astonish and confuse; to amaze.

    South.

     

    © Webster 1913.


    Maze, v. i.

    To be bewildered.

    [Obs.]

    Chaucer.

     

    © Webster 1913.

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