The Wiki Game, reviewed

Our take

The Wiki Game turns Wikipedia into a race. Everyone in the round is given the same two articles, perhaps from 'Lighthouse' to 'Jazz', and has to get from one to the other by clicking links inside the articles. No search box, no going outside. The fastest or shortest path wins the round.

It is surprisingly good at teaching you how knowledge connects. The best players learn to head for big hub pages, countries, centuries, famous people, and then dive back down. You also end up reading a little about things you never meant to look up.

You can join the public rounds as a guest, or make a private group and share its code with friends, which is the version we like most.

A first sitting

Join one public round as a guest to learn the rhythm, then make a private group for friends and set a longer round so nobody is rushed.

Where to stop

Rounds start again by themselves one after another. Pick a number of rounds before you start, five is plenty, and leave when it is reached.

Worth knowing

Its privacy policy says it is not aimed at children under 13. The site carries adverts and uses analytics; the app, its makers say, has no adverts.