Snakes and Ladders
In Snakes and Ladders you roll the dice, climb the ladders and slide down the snakes. Free, no install, no sign-up. One short round against the computer.
In Snakes and Ladders you roll, move that many squares, and take whatever the square gives you — a ladder up, a snake down, or nothing at all. Get to the last square before the computer does.
about 16.0 KB
Works offline after the first visit. No install, no sign-up.
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How to play Snakes and Ladders
How a turn works
Tap the dice to roll, then your counter moves forward by that number. If it lands on the bottom of a ladder it climbs straight away; if it lands on a snake's head it slides down. Then it is the computer's turn.
No decisions, and that is the point
Every move is decided by the dice, so the game is not about outplaying anyone. It is the version of a board game you play when you do not want to think, and it is short enough not to outstay that.
Landing exactly on the last square
A roll that would take you past the final square moves you to it anyway rather than bouncing you back. Sending a counter back the whole distance it overshot is a rule that mostly produces frustration near the end of a round.
The board is drawn, not decorated
Ladders, snakes and squares are drawn as plain geometry in two colours, so the route is readable at a glance on a small screen and does not depend on spotting small illustrations.
Round length is bounded
The board is short on purpose, so a round finishes in a couple of minutes. The number of squares you covered is counted, and your best round is kept on this device.
Snakes and Ladders Tips and Strategy
There is nothing to decide
You move a single token and the dice decide where it lands, so no choice of yours changes the result. Play it for the two or three minutes it takes rather than searching for a plan that does not exist.
Lose to luck, not to play
Four snakes sit on the board and the longest sends you back more than half the track, so a round can undo several good rolls in one go. Expect the result to swing on one throw and do not read a loss as a mistake.
Overshooting still finishes
Rolling past the last square sends you straight to it, so there is no penalty for a large final roll. Near the end you can stop caring about which number comes up and simply roll until you arrive.
Snakes and Ladders — Frequently Asked Questions
Is there any skill involved?
No, and the page does not pretend there is. This is the dice game — the interest is in how the round unfolds, not in decisions you make.
What happens if I overshoot the final square?
You move onto it. Overshooting does not send you back, but you do need a roll that reaches or passes the last square to finish.
How long is a round?
Usually two to three minutes. The board is deliberately shorter than a full printed board so a single round does not drag.
Does it need installing or an account?
No. It runs in the browser on a phone, tablet or computer and works offline after the first visit.
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