Cubetronic QuizimajigReviewed by Carol WelchPublished by Ohio Distinctive Software
PC version requires: Mac version requires: Description:
With 30 levels, the puzzles range from very simple basic shapes for young children to complex picture puzzles that will even challenge adults. The mathematical codes correspond to level difficulties, providing simple math problems (2+1) on lower levels and increasing to more complex problems (9x9+3-1) on higher levels. Robob provides plenty of encouragement during gameplay, responding with "Yep" for correct answers and "Nope" for incorrect ones. Visual clues also identify incorrect answers. For a correctly completed puzzle, Robob rewards the player with a robotic dance and verbal praise like "Wow" and "Funky".
Features:
Technical Aspects:We had no problems running this program on either our Celeron 533 or our 486 dinosaur! Of course, the loading time and animations were obviously slower on the 486, but still adequate for play.The graphics are crisp and colorful! Audio consists of funky music that can be turned on or off, verbal cues and praise from Robob that are reinforced visually and audio directions accessed by clicking on the question mark button. With someone to translate the audio directions if needed, a hearing-impaired child could easily enjoy this title.
Report and Conclusions:My family found this to be a simple, yet entertaining game that provided challenges for everyone. By simple, I don't mean that the puzzles are easy to solve, but rather that the interface is very straightforward and easy to use with no clicking from screen to screen.I was delighted by the very basic way that mathematical and spatial skills can be practiced in such a fun way. The music, graphics and animations are first-rate and quite appealing. My 9-year-old son spent hours with the program the first time he sat down to it and has returned to it several times. Gameplay automatically begins at level one, but players have the ability to change to any level. After correctly completing a puzzle, the level automatically progresses. I tried level 30 to see what the top end of the puzzles would be like and found it to be quite challenging! This title also features a very handy tracking system. By clicking Save upon exiting the game, the player's game information is saved, so that parents and teachers can access information such as: score, number of puzzle pieces played correctly and incorrectly, percentage correct, and how long the game was played. It even lists all of the math problems presented along with the answers given by the player. I highly recommend this game to anyone who loves puzzles or to families or classrooms who are looking for a fun way to practice critical thinking, math and spatial skills. Robob's Cubetronic Quizimajig is an excellent value! | |||||||||||||||||||||||