PrinceWatercress plays Basic Math/Fun With Numbers - Part 2 of 2

At least you can get a good challenge out of this game with certain game modes and difficulty switch combos. Give it a shot!

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For Game Modes 5-8, you'll have no control over the numbers in the problems, and the numbers will be completely random. Once you start these game modes, you'll start answering math problems immediately. The last two questions can be a bit tricky, as the game might even switch to another type of arithmetic than what you've chosen for them. Imagine going from division questions to multiplication or even subtraction at the last moment while you're smashing through the questions. The game throws you a curveball in that way in those game modes.

As mentioned before, in Game Modes 5-8, setting the left switch to A/Expert allows for questions where one or both numbers are two digits. Thankfully, setting the right switch to B/Novice allows you to do this without turning on time limits. If you do set the right switch to A/Expert to give yourself a time limit, however, you can give yourself a real challenge!

This allows for some pretty difficult multiplication and division problems. As much as I like this, looking back, the game just supplies the questions, demands the answers, and only shows the answer when you get the question wrong. The game does not, in any way, show you how to do it, which means that if you wanted to do these - especially back in the day - you would have to learn how to do them in school. I still give the game brownie points for trying this, though.

Interestingly, when it comes to the two-digit multiplication and division problems, you'll also have to do the work with pencil and paper before inputting your answer. Not surprisingly, I end up doing just that, but there are times where I do get to throw out some exercises in mental math.

As for the addition and subtraction problems? You'll have to do the "carry the one" stuff mentally if you're not doing it with pen and paper. I end up finding adding and subtracting two-digit numbers easier than doing multiplication and subtraction with them.

That's pretty much it with this game. There are better math games, but there are worse. The graphics, sound and controls are all basic. The sound and controls work for the most part, but as mentioned earlier, some of the color combinations can be a bit hard on the eyes. For one of the first educational games, it's not the best, but it's also not the worst, and is worth checking out solely for the historical factor...and the two-digit multiplication and division problems.