Word Problems - Codebreaker.


For this problem, each number relates to one letter of the alphabet and the player has to work out which number relates to which letter. All the words used are common words in the English language. One example, taken from the Radio Times, is shown here.

Generating such a problem by computer is a similar problem to generating crosswords. You would need a list of suitable words to build up a crossword grid and then would need to set random codes for each letter and insert these in the grid.

The player would have input a guess, such as T=1, and then the computer would insert all these letters throughout the grid. Players could remove earlier guesses as desired.

The player would have won when all the letters have been correctly identified.


This problem has two parts, firstly write software to generate the problem and secondly write an interactive programme to allow the player to solve it. The example given here is supposed to require about 40 minutes to solve - the quest might require a slightly smaller problem. If less than 26 letters are used, then the player should be told which ones have not been included this time.