In this traffic jam puzzle, your goal is to clear a path so that the red car can get out of a parking lot jammed with cars and trucks.

This game has 40 traffic jam puzzles. To begin, select one of the puzzles, which are numbered from easiest to hardest.

Each rectangle in the diagram below represents a car or truck. Each vehicle can move forward and backward only in the direction in which it faces on the grid of squares. Your task is to slide the vehicles back and forth, shifting them along the grid as needed from one open space to another, to clear a path so that the red car can get to the exit (arrow).

Click on a vehicle that you would like to move. An outline appears around the chosen rectangle. While holding down the button, use your mouse to shift the chosen rectangle to a new position. Releasing the button fixes the rectangle's position.

You can go back to the starting configuration at any time by clicking "Reset."

NOTE: To play this game, your Web browser must be able to run Java applets. This applet runs best on Netscape, Firefox, Opera, and some versions of Internet Explorer.

Java applet created by Eric Peterson, 16, Washington, D.C.

A teacher's guide for the commercial game Rush Hour®, on which this puzzle is based, is available from ThinkFun at http://education.puzzles.com/plans/rushhourguide.pdf.

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