CISRA Puzzle Competition 2008 - Solutions

This is the archive of the 2008 Puzzle Competition. Please visit the current competition site for information about the latest Puzzle Competition.

A.4 Maze

This is like a normal maze, except there are keys that you can pick up as you reach them, and gates that block the passages and need to be unlocked using the keys. Each key unlocks any one gate with the corresponding shape, but then is "used up" and cannot be used again. There are also treasures scattered around the maze, illustrated by the pictures.

The first step is to pick up the two keys in the upper left corner of the maze: the square key key and the e key key.

Next there are two options: The square key key could be used to open the square gate gate which leads to the Amber gemstone, or it could be used to open the square gate gate which leads to the uncut Diamond.

It turns out that if you choose the gate leading to Amber, you get stuck, because although you can go on to open the e gate gate which leads to Gold and pick up the inverted triangle key key in the process, you cannot then open the gate leading to the uncut Diamond.

So, the correct choice is to open the gate leading to the uncut Diamond first, which gives access to a triangle key key, which in turn gives access to the Runestone and a second square key key, which can then be used to retrieve the Amber, the Gold and the inverted triangle key key without becoming stuck.

Proceeding in this way, the maze is solved by visiting locations in order as follows. (Some of the blue locations with the same number can be visited in either order.)

[graphical solution]

LocationActionKey Inventory
Start--
1 BlueTake square key e keysquare key e key
2 RedUnlock square gatee key
2 BlueTake Diamonde key
2 BlueTake triangle keye key triangle key
3 RedUnlock triangle gatee key
3 BlueTake Runestonee key
3 BlueTake square keye key square key
4 RedUnlock square gatee key
4 BlueTake Ambere key
4 BlueTake f keye key f key
5 RedUnlock square gatef key
5 BlueTake Gold inverted triangle keyf key inverted triangle key
6 RedUnlock inverted triangle gatef key
6 BlueTake Obsidianf key
7 RedUnlock f gate-
7 BlueTake Necklace g key f keyg key f key
8 RedUnlock f gateg key
8 BlueTake diamond keyg key diamond key
9 RedUnlock g gatediamond key
9 BlueTake Emeralddiamond key
9 BlueTake triangle key f keydiamond key triangle key f key
10 RedUnlock f gatediamond key triangle key
10 RedUnlock triangle gatediamond key
10 BlueTake Rubydiamond key
10 BlueTake inverted triangle key e keydiamond key inverted triangle key e key
11 RedUnlock e gatediamond key inverted triangle key
11 BlueTake Eggsdiamond key inverted triangle key
11 BlueTake diamond keydiamond key inverted triangle key diamond key
12 RedUnlock inverted triangle gatediamond key diamond key
12 BlueTake Bell diamond keydiamond key diamond key diamond key
13 RedUnlock diamond gate diamond gate diamond gate-
13 BlueTake Opal-
13 BlueTake square keysquare key
14 RedUnlock square gate-
14 BlueTake Ring-

In order of their collection, the first letter of the treasures picked up in the maze spell out "dragon erebor". In Tolkien's The Hobbit, the dragon of Erebor is named SMAUG.

Image Credits

With thanks to the following people for the images used in constructing this puzzle: