Level 61: RINK (RMOW) - Chip's Challenge

Kristie Conway: URUDDLDLRRUURUURRURRUDRDDUURURLDDRRLDLRURRD
DDLLDDLLDDULULLDLDRDDLDRDRUULLDURRDDRRRUDLLDU
UDRRRUULULULULLRRUULLDLDDLDULUURURRUDDRDRDRD
DLLLDDLUURRUULUDDR
Richard Field: I found this one to be really tough. By scooting around I was able to get all the chips, but just couldn't find the way to the exit square. Finally, this is what I did. Using Microsoft Works (or Excel), I made an empty spreadsheet of 32 by 32 (32 rows and 32 columns). This is the size of a Chip's Challenge level. Then I mapped out the level on the 32 by 32 matrix. If you do this, map the solid blocks that you bounce off, the open blocks you can stand on, and the ice walls that you slide around, as well as the exit square and the chip socket that guards the exit square. The only way to effectively do the map is to have scooted around first so that most, if not all, of the squares have been "hit" by Chip, and therefore have revealed whether they can be stood upon or are solid barriers. You should pick up all the chips in this way. Then I looked at the map and marked in blue pencil the open squares that are dead ends. They can only be arrived at from one direction and lead nowhere. These I then marked as closed. They are of no value. Any open square that leads only to a dead end is therefore also a dead end. This simplifies the maze somewhat. Then, working back from the exit square, I mapped out the path to the exit square. After a while this gets tedious, but I found that I could get Chip to the bottom left of the grid (row 28, column 3 to be precise) without much trouble. From there the path is DRDRUURRUULD and exit.