Maze Game

IF this... THEN that... ELSE something else

Year 7 Computer Science — Conditionals & Flowcharts

Reading a Flowchart

Flowchart: "Is it raining?"

→ YES: Take umbrella → Leave the house

→ NO: Wear sunglasses → Leave the house

⬭ Oval

Start / End

▭ Rectangle

Action

◇ Diamond

Decision (Yes/No)

The Diamond Rule

Every diamond has exactly TWO exits:

◇ Is key = True?
├── YES → cross the bridge
└── NO  → go back to start of row

A diamond = one IF/ELSE statement.

One question. Two possible paths.

Maze Rules

Navigate from START (A1) to EXIT (E5)
Move UP, DOWN, LEFT, or RIGHT — one square per turn
On each square: flip the trigger card and follow its rule
Starting values: SCORE=0, HEALTH=10, KEY=False
While playing: write the IF/ELSE for each card on your flowchart worksheet

Trigger Card Example

You land on a square. The card reads:

TRAP SQUARE

IF key = True:
    skip trap safely
ELSE:
    health = health - 3

Write this as a diamond in your flowchart!

PLAY!

Navigate the maze. Flip trigger cards. Follow the rules.

Write IF/ELSE notation for each card on your flowchart worksheet.

Now Draw It

Convert your maze journey into a complete flowchart:

Start with the START oval
Add a diamond for every trigger card that had an IF/ELSE
Connect both YES and NO branches
End with the EXIT oval

Discussion

What is an IF without an ELSE? What happens when the condition is false?
Can a diamond have three exits? Why or why not?
What would an IF inside another IF look like as a flowchart?

Key Takeaway

IF/ELSE creates decision points.

The program asks a yes/no question and takes a different path depending on the answer.

Every diamond in a flowchart is one IF statement.