Math Blaster for 2nd Grade

Reviewed by Ronda Scantlin
Published by Knowledge Adventure

Age Group: Age 4 to 8, Age 8 and Up
Type: Math
Price:

PC version requires:
Windows 98/95, P90, 256 color, 16 MB RAM, 4x CD-ROM, Sound Card, Mouse, Printer recommended but not necessary

Mac version requires:
System 7.5.3, 256 color, 32 MB RAM, 4x CD-ROM, Mouse, Printer recommended but not necessary

Description:

Math Blaster for 2nd Grade provides children with an entertaining, new space mission! Join Blaster and all his friends at the Intergalactic Fair. Practice your math skills in the pie-throwing contest, at the dunking booth, or help the animals ride the roller coaster. Use your math abilities at the fair's 8 activities and win medals for your performance. Once you have won 8 medals, try your skills in the intergalactic race. What a challenge!

There are eight fun activities, each emphasizing different math-related skills:

  • Dunk Booth - Complete the number patterns - 10, 15, 20, 25, ?, ?, ?. What comes next? Before you can dunk your friends, you've got to figure out the pattern.
  • Pie Throw - Click on the pies (or fractions of the pies) that match the fractions on each creature.
  • Roller Coaster - Put the animals in the correct roller coaster cars by reading the rules above each car; for instance, one car may require animals with no hats or those with numbers above 33. Put on your thinking caps, as this one can be tricky!
  • Juice Booth - Figure out how much fruit to put in the juicer to make the customers juice drinks. You will need to add or subtract fruit to get the correct amounts.
  • Time Travel - Learn to tell time by clicking on all of the flying saucers that show the correct time.
  • Money Madness - Count money by putting coins and dollar bills into the correct containers.
  • Animal Arena - This game requires chart reading. Read the question and look at the chart to find the correct answer. "Who watched the second most movies?" or "Who ran the least blocks?" When you know the answer, give the correct animal a ribbon!
  • Number Zapper - Zap the correct answer to complete the math equation. For example, if the equation is 7-6 = ?, zap all of the "1s". But be quick! You must also zap the falling meteors before they fall to earth and destroy the city below. This activity is very similar to the traditional arcade game "Asteroids".

Features:

  • Familiar characters such as Blaster, the Galactic Commander, and Mel;
  • Encourages practice of 2nd grade level math skills including, addition, subtraction, logical thinking with numbers, fractions, chart reading, counting money, telling time, and number sequencing;
  • 8 math activities;
  • 5 skill levels for each activity (from basic to challenging);
  • Over 350 math lessons;
  • Arcade style play;
  • Printable activities, charts, and stickers;
  • Progress tracking.

Technical Aspects:

Math Blaster for 2nd Grade installed without any problems. The program incorporates colorful graphics and great audio. These qualities really attract and sustain children's attention. The only noted criticism is in the Time Travel activity - the game takes a little practice because it is slow to react to the player's responses.

Report and Conclusions:

Learning math can be fun! Math Blaster for 2nd Grade is an interactive game environment to help children practice important math-related skills encountered at the 2nd grade level. The activities challenge thinking and problem solving, while at the same time are entertaining to boys and girls. The 5 levels of play support children's growing needs, allowing them to choose more challenging problems as their abilities improve over time. A related component for kids and parents is the progress tracker. The tracker lets you identify how many rounds of each activity have been completed, as well as the child's level of mastery for each activity. The materials and activities available to print from the Blaster Sticker Maker and the Treasure Room (star chart, puzzles, and math board) are fun additions to the interactive games and can encourage creative behaviors.

Children who enjoy other Blaster titles such as Math Blaster for 1st Grade will want to "blast" off to their next mission! Math Blaster for 2nd Grade will provide children with an engaging interactive environment and familiar characters, while incorporating fun into the development of essential math skills.