Professor Finkle's Times Table Factory

Age Group: Age 8 and Up Type: Math Price: $30.00 US

PC version requires:
486/100, 16M RAM, 2M hard drive, CDx2

Mac version requires:
68040, system 7.1, 16MB RAM, CDx2

Description:

Whoa there, little pardner! Pull up on those reins and take a gander at this here computer game.

Professor Finkle's Times Table Factory is a wonderful way to learn the concepts behind multiplication, and to practice the times tables in fun, innovative ways. This program is very similar to a sing-a-long video, but takes it much further. A cowboy, gangster, pirate, and professor all help present games, videos, songs and jokes in a manner sure to teach, without the kids even being aware of it.

Features:

• Multiplication concepts
• Fun games
• Songs and chants
• One-man band of impersonations
• Jokes only a kid can love!
• Worksheets
• Customizable feature for specific users

Technical Aspects:

This title installed easily with no fuss. However, be warned that the minimum requirements are just that, the MINIMUM! On my P100 with 24x CD-ROM and 48MB RAM, the game ran slowly. I would recommend at least a P100 with a 4x CD-ROM, and more for optimum performance. The manual is good, but is on the CD. The manual will explain how to customize the problems, and lists the hotkeys for different functions.

Report and Conclusions:

Professor Finkle's Times Table Factory is excellent for school or home use. With 70 worksheets and customizable problems for users, teachers will find this a great supplement in the classroom. Matching games, grid fill-ins, beat the computer are some of the games. There is also a game where you have to answer the equation to hear the rest of the joke (300 of them!). The tips and tricks are useful, also. One note, the term "inversion" is wrongly used here, the concept is actually the "commutative property" of multiplication, where the factors can be interchanged for the same outcome.