NumberMaze (PuzzleMadness)
Draw one line from 1 through every number in order, covering every open cell.
Every day: A new dated NumberMaze puzzle every day at each difficulty (Easy, Medium and Hard, plus a Mixed page), the same for every player, with scores on monthly and all-time leaderboards and earlier days in the archive. New puzzle: Once a day (the site does not state the time).
NumberMaze on PuzzleMadness is a single-line path puzzle. Starting at 1, you draw a route through 2, 3, 4 and the rest in order, passing through every open cell exactly once and skipping the grey blocked ones. Four puzzles appear each day: Easy, Medium, Hard and a Mixed bonus.
About NumberMaze (PuzzleMadness)
A NumberMaze grid has a handful of numbered circles and some grey cells that are out of play. You draw a single line that starts on the 1, visits the other numbers in order and ends on the highest, moving between neighbouring cells up, down, left or right. The line must pass through every cell that is not blocked, and it may not cross itself or visit a cell twice. Every PuzzleMadness NumberMaze has exactly one solution.
The numbers fix the order of the route but not its shape, so most of the thinking is about the empty space: corners and dead-end pockets have to be entered and left in a particular way, and leaving a cell stranded means the route will fail later. Today's Medium grid, for example, is 8x8 with numbers 1 to 8 and nine blocked cells.
PuzzleMadness is a free puzzle website run by Dewi, a software developer who started out making games for the PlayStation 2, Nintendo Wii and DS and now builds the site as a hobby. It carries dozens of puzzle types, from classic sudoku to newer logic grids, and each one gets its own dated puzzle every day at each difficulty. NumberMaze comes in Easy, Medium and Hard versions plus a Mixed page, and the same day's NumberMaze puzzle is shared by everyone who opens it.
The site checks your grid as you go and tells you when it is finished; it does not publish solutions. Each completed puzzle earns a score, and scores feed a monthly and an all-time NumberMaze leaderboard, where only your best attempt at a puzzle counts. Older days stay in the archive, so a missed puzzle can still be played later and still counts toward the current month. Playing needs no account; a free registration gives you a username on the leaderboards and a cloud save. The pages carry adverts.
How to play NumberMaze (PuzzleMadness)
- Open today's NumberMaze page on PuzzleMadness and choose a difficulty from the menu above the grid.
- Start on the circle numbered 1 and draw a line into a neighbouring cell, moving up, down, left or right.
- Keep extending the line so it reaches the numbers in order, 2, then 3, and so on.
- Fill every open cell exactly once without crossing the line, and finish on the last number.
- The site tells you when the grid is complete and adds your score; registered players appear on the leaderboards.
Screenshots
Tips
- Look for cells with only two open neighbours: the line has to pass straight through both.
- Corners and pockets next to grey cells are easy to strand, so plan how the line will sweep them.
- Between two consecutive numbers, check whether the cells left over can still be reached later; if not, the route must collect them now.
- Missed a day? Earlier puzzles are in the archive, and finishing one still counts toward this month's leaderboard.
Questions
Does a NumberMaze have more than one solution?
No. PuzzleMadness says every NumberMaze has a single solution: only one path from the first number to the last covers every open cell.
When does a new NumberMaze puzzle appear?
Once a day: each difficulty gets its own dated puzzle. PuzzleMadness does not state the exact changeover time.
Where can I see the solution?
PuzzleMadness does not publish solutions. The page tells you when your grid is correct and finished, or when you have made a mistake.
Is NumberMaze on PuzzleMadness free?
Yes. It is free to play in a browser with adverts on the page, and registering for the leaderboards is free too.
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