Every square on this board is a little road sign. Signpost Arrow Chain unblocked asks you to follow those signs and string all the squares together into one numbered path, from 1 to the final star.
It is a quiet, satisfying puzzle that rewards working from both ends. James Harvey wrote it for Simon Tatham's Portable Puzzle Collection.
How to play Signpost Arrow Chain
The board has one square for each number in the path, so sixteen squares on a 4 by 4 board means the numbers 1 through 16. You always know where the path starts and ends, and some boards show a few numbers in the middle as well.
Each arrow points toward the next square in the chain. It might be a neighbor or it might be across the board, but it has to lie on the arrow's line, which can be straight or diagonal. Press a square and the game highlights the squares you are allowed to link it to.
To connect two squares, pull a line from one to its follower. A right-button drag connects a square to the one that comes earlier. Chains that are not yet tied to a number get letters like a and a+1, which turn into real numbers once the chain touches a numbered square. Fill the whole path to win.
Controls
| To… | Keyboard | Mouse | Touch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Link a square to the one that comes next | Arrow keys to move, Enter on the first square, Enter again on the next | Left-drag from a square to its successor | Drag from a square to its successor |
| Link a square to the one that comes before it | Space on a square, then Space again on its predecessor | Right-drag from a square to its predecessor | Press and hold, then drag (or set Tap to Link backward) |
| Break the links of one square | — | Left-drag the square off the grid | Drag the square off the grid |
| Break a whole chain | — | Right-drag any square of the chain off the grid | Press and hold, then drag off the grid |
| New game, undo, redo | N, U, R | Menu buttons above the grid | Menu buttons above the grid |
Tips
- Look at what can reach a square. If only one arrow on the whole board points through a square, that arrow's owner must come right before it.
- Solve backward from the star. Check which arrows point at the last square. Often only one or two squares qualify.
- Link loose pieces early. Even without numbers, two squares that must be consecutive can be joined. The letters fill in later.
- Use the corner dots. A dot means the square still needs something pointing into it. No dot means it already has a predecessor.
- Clear a messy chain in one go. Right-drag any square in a chain off the grid to undo the whole chain at once.
Signpost Arrow Chain questions
Do linked squares need to be next to each other?
No. The next square can be far away, as long as it is exactly in line with the arrow. Squares in between are skipped.
What are the free ends boards?
On standard boards the path begins in the upper-left and finishes in the lower-right. With free ends, the start and finish can be any square on the grid, and both are revealed when the puzzle opens.
How do I link backward on a phone?
Press and hold before you drag, or switch the tap setting under the grid to link backward.
