Microsoft Treasure Hunt – Specific Patterns

Microsoft Treasure Hunt Strategy Guide

• Introduction and General Strategies
• General Patterns
• Row Patterns
• Corner Patterns
• Specific Patterns
• Subtraction
• Chording
• Analysis
• Level 86 Walk Through

Specific patterns

In the preceding example we cannot fully decide where the traps are, but no combination of traps results in one being in the indicated square. It’s safe to expose.

In the preceding example the block to the upper right right of the 3 is a trap, and the other two are not. There must be a barrier at the top for the strategy to apply.

In the preceding, the top two squares must be traps, and the other not.

In the preceding the square to the lower right of the 3 is a trap. The other two squares are not determined.

In the preceding the top square must be a trap, and the bottom square safe. The middle two cannot be determined.

In this opening scene from level 47, all that is known is that the squares immediately above and to the left of the lower-right corner square are safe. Opening up those two squares give this:

As you might expect, nothing further is possible through logic. To proceed, a map, pickaxe or dynamite is necessary, or risk losing a life.

Here’s a difficult one that you might think gives no help:

However, through trial and error on paper, it turns out that the bottom 2 squares on the right must be safe and the square to the right of the top 4 is a trap. Here’s what it looks like:

We can see now that all the covered squares around the 2 are safe, including the 3 below not shown. Quite a large area can be cleared based on finding this small breakthrough.