Cryptography and mathematics: educational game "Treasure Hunt"

Treasure Hunt is an interactive educational game for middle grade children based on the use of cryptography. The goal of this game is to find a secret treasure hidden in the old castle. To proceed through the story children must decrypt messages using mathematical skills. Cryptography − the science of sending secret messages − is an active area of research for both mathematicians and computer scientists. It is of increasing importance in society today, with applications all around us, from Internet security to the protection of diplomatic secrets, and it has interesting applications in history. Children have long been interested in secret codes. Treasure Hunt both entertains and challenges students, while exposing them to concepts relevant to their formal studies.