Summary:
Signpost Maze is a logic puzzle where every cell holds a signpost pointing one direction. Pick a lane at the top, follow the signposts one square at a time, and find the one lane whose path actually reaches the exit.
Overview
A Signpost Maze puzzle is a rectangular grid where every cell shows a signpost pointing up, down, left, or right. The top row is a set of entry lanes. Pick one, then follow the signpost in the cell you land on, one square at a time. Exactly one entry lane — the true lane — has a path that reaches the single exit on the bottom row; every other lane is a decoy.
The board never marks which lane is the true one — that’s the whole puzzle. Once you pick a lane, though, you don’t get to choose again: each signpost forces your next move.
The Goal
You’ve solved the puzzle the moment your traced path lands on the exit cell (tinted on the board) — that lane is the true one, and every other lane is a decoy.
How the Signposts Work
Each cell holds exactly one signpost, pointing one of four ways. There’s nothing to decide once you’re standing on a cell — you simply move one square in the direction its signpost points, then read the signpost on the new cell, and repeat. This is the puzzle’s one rule: no choices once you’ve picked your lane. Signpost Maze is a “forced path” puzzle: your only real decision is which lane to start in.
Finding the True Lane
Because the board never marks the true lane — and a decoy’s path can run right alongside it, in the very next cell over, without ever actually joining it — the only reliable way to find the true lane is to trace each one by hand:
- Start on a top-row lane and follow its signpost to the next cell.
- Keep following each new cell’s signpost, one square at a time. The path can double back through any part of the grid, so moving up or sideways partway through is normal — it doesn’t mean you’ve slipped onto a decoy.
- If you land on the exit cell (tinted on the board), you’ve found the true lane.
- If you run off the edge of the grid, or you land on a cell your trace has already visited, that lane is a decoy — cross it off and try the next one.
A decoy can never step onto a cell the true lane’s path uses (that’s a guarantee of how the puzzle is built, not something you have to check yourself), so the off-grid/repeat-cell test above is all you need. Decoy paths can also merge with each other, so two different wrong lanes might trace the exact same dead end.
Content Variation: Signposts, Numbers, Letters, Colors, or Your Own Images
By default, direction is shown with a built-in signpost glyph — the arrow tells you everything. Puzzle Maker Pro can also re-skin the four directions as numbers, letters, colored shapes, or your own images. Since a plain color or picture doesn’t point anywhere on its own, a small legend is printed alongside the grid to show which item stands for which direction:
The puzzle underneath is identical either way — only how each direction is drawn changes. See How to Use Content Variation in Puzzle Maker Pro for how this shared control works.
How to Start Solving
Work through the lanes in order — left to right is simplest — so you don’t lose track of which you’ve already tried. On paper, a small scratch mark on each cell a trace crosses makes it easy to spot the moment a later trace lands on an already-marked cell, one of the two signs of a decoy.
Difficulty changes how long the true lane’s path is, not the size of the grid: Easy picks a short, direct route; Hard picks a longer, windier one, so expect more forced turns — and more of that doubling-back — before you reach the exit.
Outcome
You now know the goal, how a forced signpost path works, how to trace a lane to prove it’s the true one or a decoy, and how re-skinned content still plays by the same rule. Ready to make your own? See How to Create Signpost Maze Puzzles in Puzzle Maker Pro.
FAQ
Do I have to try every entry lane?
On paper, yes — there’s no separate clue that narrows it down, since the board never marks the true lane. Trace each one until it dead-ends, loops, or reaches the exit. Playing online works the same way: you press a lane and drag the route out yourself, one cell at a time — the game only lets you continue the one way each signpost allows, so it never traces the answer for you.
Can a decoy lane cross the true lane?
No. A decoy cell never points onto a cell the true lane’s path uses, so a decoy’s forced path can never join or cross it — though it can run in the very next cell over without ever touching it.
What happens if I follow a decoy lane?
It always runs out: either it walks off the edge of the grid, or it starts looping back over cells it has already crossed. Either way, it never reaches the exit cell.
Does the entry always start at the top and the exit at the bottom?
Yes — entry lanes are always the top row and the exit is always a single cell on the bottom row; every move follows a signpost up, down, left, or right from there.
How does difficulty change the puzzle?
Difficulty controls how long and winding the true lane’s path is, not the size of the grid — Easy gives a shorter, more direct path; Hard gives a longer one with more forced turns (and more doubling back) to track.
Can the puzzle use pictures instead of arrows?
Yes. The four directions can be shown as your own images, numbers, letters, or colors instead of signposts; a printed legend explains which one means which direction.