Previous | Contents | Index | Next

Chapter 6: Sixteen

Another sliding tile puzzle, visually similar to Fifteen (see chapter 5) but with a different type of move. This time, there is no hole: all 16 squares on the grid contain numbered squares. Your move is to shift an entire row left or right, or shift an entire column up or down; every time you do that, the tile you shift off the grid re-appears at the other end of the same row, in the space you just vacated. To win, arrange the tiles into numerical order (1,2,3,4 on the top row, 13,14,15,16 on the bottom). When you've done that, try playing on different sizes of grid.

I might have invented this game myself, though only by accident if so (and I'm sure other people have independently invented it). I thought I was imitating a screensaver I'd seen, but I have a feeling that the screensaver might actually have been a Fifteen-type puzzle rather than this slightly different kind. So this might be the one thing in my puzzle collection which represents creativity on my part rather than just engineering.

6.1 Sixteen controls

Left-clicking on an arrow will move the appropriate row or column in the direction indicated. Right-clicking will move it in the opposite direction.

Alternatively, use the cursor keys to move the position indicator around the edge of the grid, and use the return key to move the row/column in the direction indicated.

(All the actions described in section 2.1 are also available.)

6.2 Sixteen parameters

The parameters available from the ‘Custom...’ option on the ‘Type’ menu are:


[$Id: puzzles.but 9828 2013-04-12 16:28:55Z simon $]