Everybody is familiar with the game of “Snakes and Ladders”, but not so many realise that the game constitutes an interesting example of a Markov chain. We feel that a good way of introducing Markov chain theory is by solving the problem, How long does a game of Snakes and Ladders last? Doubtless the reader has found that the last game before sending a child to bed seems to drag on interminably, and we used a computer to determine the actual average number of moves when 2 people play on a typical board.