In a browser Trail Making Game, route A is a single-sequence number path that asks you to tap labelled buttons 1 through 8 in order, while route B is an alternating number-and-letter path that asks you to tap 1, A, 2, B, 3, C, 4, D in order. Both routes share the same eight-node size, the same labelled-button controls, and the same visible-tab timing rule, but they differ in label pattern, in the cognitive demand of switching categories mid-path, and in what the product treats as a result. Route A records a number-route time, route B records an alternating-route time, and the result panel then shows the alternating-route time minus the number-route time from that one session. That simple difference is a within-route number for this fixed browser game only: it is not a clinical interference score, an age-adjusted result, a percentile, or a comparison against any population table. Because both routes are built into the same Trail Making Game, the rules you learn on route A apply unchanged to route B, and the times from the two routes can be compared side by side on the same result panel.
The Two Routes at a Glance
Route A and route B in the Trail Making Game are two disclosed product-authored boards, not paper worksheets copied from a clinical source. Each board contains eight labelled nodes placed on a single visible screen, and each node is a large button you can tap on a phone, tablet, or desktop, or type with a matching keyboard key. The first board is the number route: it shows nodes labelled 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, scattered across the screen in positions the product has fixed. The second board is the alternating route: it shows nodes labelled 1, 2, 3, 4, A, B, C, and D, scattered in a different fixed layout, with the additional rule that you must move between the two label types in a fixed order rather than completing one type before the other.
The two routes are presented as a sequence, not a choice. You cannot start with the alternating route, and you cannot skip the number route. The numeric board completes first, then the alternating board becomes available, and the two displayed times are tied to two clearly named routes. This sequencing is what lets the result panel talk about a number-route time and an alternating-route time as separate, route-named values rather than as one blended number. The first board is finished before the second board appears, which means there is no chance to blur the two times into a single combined score.
How the Two Routes Differ
The structural differences between route A and route B in the Trail Making Game come down to four points: the labels used, the order in which the labels must be tapped, the rule for what counts as a next node, and how the result panel describes what the time means. The table below sets those points side by side so the comparison stays concrete and on one screen.
| Feature | Route A (number route) | Route B (alternating route) |
|---|---|---|
| Number of nodes | 8 | 8 |
| Labels used | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 | 1, A, 2, B, 3, C, 4, D |
| Tap order | Strictly 1, then 2, then 3, then 4, then 5, then 6, then 7, then 8 | Strictly 1, then A, then 2, then B, then 3, then C, then 4, then D |
| Next-node rule | Always the next unused number | Switches label type at each step |
| Primary demand | Locate the next number in order | Switch category between number and letter on every step |
| Result label on panel | Number-route time | Alternating-route time |
| Error behaviour | Wrong node stays available, error counter increases by one | Wrong node stays available, error counter increases by one |
| Hidden-tab handling | Route pauses, Resume restarts a fresh visible interval | Route pauses, Resume restarts a fresh visible interval |
The two routes have the same eight-node size, the same labelled buttons, the same keyboard shortcuts, the same wrong-node rule, and the same hidden-tab pause. The differences are entirely about labels, ordering, and the cognitive rule that decides which node is next. That is what makes the alternating route harder to plan in your head and what makes the simple difference between the two times a useful within-product number to read, even when it has no clinical meaning.
How to Play Both Routes
Both routes are played from the same page, with the same controls, and in the same order. The numbered steps below cover a complete attempt at the Trail Making Game from the first click through to the result panel.
- Open the Trail Making Game in a browser tab you intend to keep visible.
- Choose the option to start the number route so that route A appears. Eight labelled buttons appear in fixed positions.
- Tap button 1 first, then 2, then 3, and so on, going from 1 through 8 in numeric order. You can also type the matching label with your keyboard instead of tapping.
- If you tap the wrong button, that button stays available and the error counter goes up by one. A line appears only after a correct selection, so you can see the path you have already built without the next node being revealed early.
- When node 8 is tapped correctly, the number route ends and the alternating route becomes available. Choose to start the alternating route.
- Tap node 1, then node A, then node 2, then node B, then node 3, then node C, then node 4, then node D, in that strict order. Keyboard keys work in the same way they did on route A.
- If the tab becomes hidden, the active route pauses automatically. When you return to the tab, choose Resume to start a fresh visible interval for the next node.
- When node D is tapped correctly, the result panel shows the number-route time, the alternating-route time, their simple difference, total errors, and points.
- Choose Restart to clear both boards and start a new local attempt with the same two fixed routes.
What the Result Panel Shows
After both routes finish, the result panel in the Trail Making Game shows five values: the number-route time, the alternating-route time, alternating time minus number time, total errors, and points. The two times are local route timings from this one browser session; they come from the page's monotonic timer and are not adjusted for screen size, input method, browser scheduling, or interruptions, because the pause-on-hidden-tab rule already removes most of those effects from the visible interval.
The difference value is computed only as alternating-route time minus number-route time within this exact product route. A simple illustration: if the number route finishes at 12.0 seconds and the alternating route finishes at 21.0 seconds, the panel shows 21.0 minus 12.0 equals 9.0 seconds. That is the entire formula for the difference value. It is not compared with a benchmark, not divided by a population standard, not adjusted for age or education, and not labelled as an interference score. Points appear alongside the two times, the difference, and the error total in the result panel. A clean score is simply a way to replay the same transparent game rule, and the shared game shell may remember your best local points in browser storage across attempts on the same device.
Browser Controls That Keep the Times Honest
Because the alternating route asks you to switch label category on every step, an interruption in the middle of a route can break the order you are holding in your head. The Trail Making Game handles this with three controls that apply to both routes. First, an incorrect node stays available and adds to the error counter instead of silently skipping the route, jumping to a different task, or counting as a correct step. Second, if the tab becomes hidden, the active route pauses and the next visible node begins only after you choose Resume, so time spent on another app, a notification, a phone call, or a background tab is not reported as if it were a response. Third, the page uses the browser's monotonic timer only for this local display, so a system clock change cannot move your time backwards while a route is running.
Restart creates a new local attempt with the same two visible boards. Nothing about the routes changes between attempts, so the difference between your number-route time and your alternating-route time on attempt one is directly comparable to the difference on attempt two in the sense that both come from the same two fixed boards. The game does not create an online leaderboard and does not send any score off the page; everything runs locally in your browser.
What This Browser Game Does Not Claim
The Trail Making Game does not borrow a clinical sheet, a population table, or a professional scoring rule. The labels, the node positions, the route length, the error rule, and the scoring rule are all product-authored, and nothing is hidden in a random generator. That makes the result panel easy to read but also limits what it can be used for. The two fixed routes have no norm group, no health interpretation, no educational score, no professional meaning, and no treatment value. They cannot assess memory, executive function, a condition, eligibility, school performance, or workplace fitness, and the game does not diagnose attention, measure intelligence, or show whether your brain has improved.
If you want a record of how the browser version compares with the paper version, see Digital vs Paper Trail Making: A Browser Version Compared. If you want a different fixed-route challenge with keyboard controls and a verified solution, Draw One Stroke Game: Solve the 8-Node Euler Trail uses a comparable eight-node visible board. The Trail Making Game itself remains a short route-following activity that produces two labelled-button times and a simple difference between them, nothing more, and it asks for no account, name, camera, microphone, file upload, or profile.