A
maze is a path or collection of paths, typically from an entrance to a goal. The word is used to refer both to branching
tour puzzles through which the solver must find a route, and to simpler non-branching ("unicursal") patterns that lead unambiguously through a convoluted layout to a goal. (The term "
labyrinth" is generally synonymous, but also can connote specifically a unicursal pattern.) The pathways and walls in a maze are typically fixed, but puzzles in which the walls and paths can change during the game are also categorised as mazes or tour puzzles.