Tap adjacent squares to move from the start to the target
| Tap an adjacent square | Step onto it. |
| Reach the target | Complete the level. |
Path Finder gives you a grid, a start, a target and some obstacles. Step from square to adjacent square until you reach the goal. Getting there is easy; getting there in the fewest possible steps is the actual puzzle, and the game tells you the minimum so you know exactly how close you came.
What it is really teaching is route planning under constraints, the same problem a satnav solves. Knowing that a shortest path exists and is findable changes how you approach the grid: instead of wandering toward the target, you look for the route that never wastes a sideways step.
Count your minimum before you start. Ignoring obstacles, the shortest route is the horizontal distance plus the vertical distance. Any obstacle forcing a detour adds to it, so you can usually work out the target number in advance.
Never step away from the goal unless an obstacle forces it. Every move should reduce either your horizontal or your vertical distance. A step that does neither is wasted.
Look at the obstacles before your first move. The decision that matters most is which side of a blockage to pass, and that is far easier to judge from the start than halfway around it.
Plan the whole route rather than improvising. Because you cannot revisit squares, an improvised path can trap you with no legal move left.
No, which means an improvised route can leave you stuck with nowhere legal to go.
The game shows the minimum number of steps possible, so you can compare your route against the ideal.
By tapping a square adjacent to the one you are on.
Yes, and the game tells you what it is once you finish.
No. Path Finder runs entirely inside this page, so it starts the moment the page opens. There is nothing to download, no plugin, and no account to create.