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In this paper, we report on our experiences in using an animated competitive game with simulated physics to teach Artificial Intelligence techniques in an undergraduate computer science course. Students develop intelligent controllers for simulated vehicles, which compete with each other in a tournament. The simulation includes a real-time visualisation of the contests, and the students’ solutions utilise an AI toolkit that provides animated displays showing the internal workings of their controllers in parallel with the simulation. The result is a learning experience that engages students’ enthusiasm, and helps them to development mental models of the AI algorithms.