Hot & Cold

Find the mystery country: every guess tells you how far away it is.

There is a mystery country and a globe. Every guess lights up in a colour that tells you how close you are, so you end up closing in on it across the map.

How to play

1. Type any country. It appears on the globe, which you can spin.
2. The colour shows how close it is to the mystery country, measured between borders. The warmer, the closer.
3. There is no limit on guesses, but each one costs points. You can give up, for 0.

Scoring

1000 points on the first guess, 50 fewer for each extra guess, and at least 100 if you find it. Gave up or out of time: 0.

What it works

• Spatial intelligence You use a mental map and work out direction from distances.
• General knowledge You need to know which countries sit where.
• Logical reasoning Each guess narrows the search, as long as you choose it well.