FunLab by Anilau: short online games for curious minds

What is FunLab by Anilau?

FunLab is a project offering short online games of knowledge, observation, reasoning and personal choice. Challenges stand on their own: you do not need to follow a long storyline or learn complicated rules before trying one. Read the question, examine an image or clues, choose an answer and move on when you want to. [1]

It suits a short break when you feel like switching to a manageable challenge. The games ask for different approaches. Geography involves matching a place’s features, fact games involve testing statements, logic involves following constraints, and dilemmas involve deciding what matters to you. If one format loses its appeal, you can choose another from the same catalogue.

Which games can you play in FunLab?

Geography games: places from pictures and countries from clues

The geography family includes every Guess Place collection and Five Details. They share a purpose: recognise a place or country from a limited set of clues. Start with a random geography challenge, or choose a particular collection on the geography games page. [3]

In Guess Place, you examine an image and select one of the answer options. Each collection emphasises something different: street patterns in city plans, distinctive forms in landmarks, outlines and surroundings in islands and coasts, details of the urban environment in transit images, and visible structures and layouts in ancient sites.

An image may be an illustration. Work with the features shown, rather than assuming you have an exact photograph or a complete map. Look for several details that fit the same candidate. One association can help, but check it against the rest of the picture.

Five Details provides neither an image nor an answer list: you type the country yourself. One written clue is initially visible, and you can request more, up to five in total. Decide whether you have enough evidence to answer or want another clue. It is a good fit when you enjoy building a hypothesis gradually instead of choosing from a ready-made list.

Play a geography game

Fake or Fact: find the invented statement

Each challenge presents three statements. Your goal is to select the invented one. These are not three separate true-or-false questions: compare the claims and find the one that does not match the facts. After you answer, the game reveals the fake statement and an explanation. [2]

An unusual claim is not necessarily false, and a familiar one is not necessarily true. Before choosing, look for an overly strong claim, an absolute word or a detail that changes the meaning. Knowledge and careful reading both help. If you get it wrong, the explanation can show what made the claim seem convincing.

Play Fake or Fact

Logic 60: a short puzzle with a checkable answer

Logic 60 presents a short question and answer options. Work through the relationships, eliminate unsuitable choices and select a solution. An on-screen timer gives you a 60-second target; reaching zero does not remove the ability to answer. You can finish your reasoning and check the result. [2]

Precise conditions matter. “Before” and “immediately before” describe different relationships, while “exactly one” is not the same as “at least one”. Choose this format when you want a small puzzle with a definite check. Afterwards, read the explanation and compare it with your own reasoning.

Play Logic 60

Dilemma: choose a side without a single right answer

Dilemma presents a situation and possible choices. You are not looking for a hidden correct answer: the game records your side. After choosing, you can see your result and any available statistics from other players’ responses. [2]

This format invites discussion: which advantages would you trade for others, and why? Two people may choose differently because they value convenience, freedom, risk or predictability differently. The interesting part is explaining your choice, rather than guessing which side the author approves of.

Play Dilemma

How to start and choose a format

The homepage shows a challenge preview and a Play button. Use this entrance when you do not want to choose a topic: you can open the displayed game straight away. If you have a preference, use the “What shall we play?” section or the full game catalogue.

1. For visual observation, choose a geography collection with images.
2. For gradually guessing a country, try Five Details within the geography family.
3. For comparing unusual statements, open Fake or Fact.
4. For reasoning from constraints, choose Logic 60; for discussing personal choices, try Dilemma.

What happens after you answer?

Challenges with a checkable solution display a result and explanation. You can understand a mistake or check whether your reasoning matches the explanation. In Dilemma, the result concerns the side you selected rather than a right-or-wrong judgement.

When enough responses have accumulated, the site shows aggregate statistics for that challenge. When the sample is still small, it displays an early-results message instead of confident comparisons. Afterwards, you can rate the challenge’s difficulty, move to another question or return to the collections.

Random selection takes account of challenges completed in the current browser and offers unplayed ones first. Once you have finished the selected collection, challenges can repeat. Starting within the geography family keeps the next challenge within that topic.

Language, appearance and progress

FunLab is available in Russian and English. The flag near the top of the page shows the language you can switch to. Choose the language you prefer reading without changing the type of game.

You can also choose an appearance: Console, Steampunk Bureau, Indie Zine, Night Lab or Paper Archive. These skins change colours, fonts and the appearance of controls. Questions and rules stay the same, so pick according to readability and mood.

You can play without registering. The completed-challenge list and results used to continue playing are saved in the current browser. Clearing site data or opening another browser does not transfer that local list automatically.

When Telegram sign-in is available, new answers submitted after signing in are associated with your account. Automatic restoration of the completed-challenge list on another device is not currently available. Signing in and continuing in the same browser serve different purposes; returning to your usual browser preserves the familiar selection of unplayed questions.

Useful questions before your first game

Do you need to install anything?

For the browser version, simply open the site on a computer or phone. Gameplay needs JavaScript enabled: it handles challenge selection, clues and answer submission. Articles can be read without it. On a phone, Five Details uses the keyboard for your answer; the other formats let you tap an option.

Is it free, and is there a daily limit?

The current games in the catalogue are free to access. Browser gameplay has a base allowance of 10 completed challenges per day. The allowance resets at the start of a new day, and the interface shows used and available attempts. Keep this in mind if you want to try several formats in a row.

How can a friend try the same challenge?

After your result, use Challenge a Friend to create a link to the same question. Someone else can answer independently, making it useful for comparing solutions or discussing a dilemma. The link does not disclose the answer. You can complete the challenge at different times; both players do not need to be present together.

Which FunLab game should you try first?

Start with whichever action interests you now: examine a place, test a claim, untangle a condition or choose a side. One challenge is enough for a first visit; it demonstrates the rules more directly than a long description. Then switch formats to find one you want to return to.

If you enjoy understanding clues before playing, the articles section has separate guides to city street plans, island outlines, country guessing and short logic puzzles. They explain techniques using independent teaching examples, without revealing answers to challenges in the catalogue.