Cubetronic Quizimajig

Age Group: Age 2 to 5, Age 4 to 8, Age 8 and Up, Adults Type: Math, Puzzles/Memory, Thinking Games Price: $10

PC version requires:
any multimedia-capable computer with 4 megabytes of RAM running Windows 3.1, Windows 95, or Windows 98

Mac version requires:
any multimedia-capable Macintosh with 4 megabytes of RAM or more

Description:

Robob invites you to play his wondrous contraption, the Cubetronic Quizimajig. This amazing gizmo provides puzzles for all ages, with the puzzle pieces arranged on a cube. Some pieces may need to be turned in order to correctly fit into the puzzle. Be prepared to break some mathematical codes to get more puzzle pieces.

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:

• Promotes mathematical, spatial and critical thinking skills
• 30 levels provide challenges for all ages
• Tracking feature
• Positive reinforcement
• Great price!

Technical Aspects:

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:

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!