Mathgame

The title screen

By now I'm sure we've all had some form of experience with the mega-selling Brain Training series of games which attempt to test your brain an allow you to improve your brain age. If you enjoyed those games but felt that the maths part of those games was too easy or too short then Eddie Hsu's excellent "Mathgame" is the answer for you.

The concept of the game is simple, you need to select two numbers and a function from the randomly generated ones on the screen (between 2 and 81) to create a full equation. It sounds so simple and in fact it should be simple but you will quickly find yourself panicking, pulling your hair out and wondering why you can't see the most obvious equation there.

The game comes in two modes a "normal" game and a "quick" game. The normal game sees you playing the game until there is no possible equations on the screen much like the marathon mode on Bejeweled, all the while racking up a score. The games scoring system is a clever addition that sees you getting a bonus multiplier for using the same number in different equations. I.e. 5+4=9, re-using that 9 (which will be coloured) adds an extra multiplier. So then going 9-5=4 would give you a bonus and make the 4 tile the bonus number.

Whilst the normal game mode is the long term choice it's the games "quick" mode that really stands out. This mode gives you 1 minute to try and rack up the biggest score possible, all the while you are getting more and more worried and finding it harder to think. The quick mode really sorts the men from the boys, sadly I appear to be a boy. It's the pick up and play speed that really separates the two game modes and it's the difference between having a leisurely walk in the countryside and being chased by ravenous dogs.


As well as being very simple to play with you selecting the relevant tiles by just using your finger to literally touch them the game also has a very simplistic look to it that perhaps wouldn't look out of place in a late 1980's home console. The idea, I think, is that the monkeys are sat in a classroom and whilst it looks simple it does the job. There isn't really much point in over-doing the graphics here as it's the gameplay that the game relies on, not beautiful glowing colours, yet the graphics do have a real charm about them. The games one lacking quality is sound. And by lacking quality I mean there is no sound at all. Whilst this doesn't make any difference to the gameplay or the addictiveness it would have been nice to have had some soft soothing music and maybe even some sounds come to congratulate getting an equation.

Whilst the game is incredibly charming and addictive as well as infuriating it's also a learning experience and one that you will find yourself coming back to time and time again. Whilst the game doesn't break the boundaries of video gaming, it plays nicely inside the boundaries whilst teaching kids maths in a fun and addictive fashion.

If I was asked what could be improved maybe a difficulty setting (for example easy uses just numbers 2-20 whilst hard could be expanded to 1-100) and some light "elevator music" (with the option to turn it off) as well as a small graphics over-haul though they are only minor things and certainly don't take away from a fabulous game.

Addictiveness-9/10. Learning has never been this addictive!
Controls-10/10. Exactly what you'd expect and they work sublimely
Graphics-4/10. It looks simple and is charming but nothing amazing on the eye
Sounds-0/10. Completely absent. I turned the sound all the way up but nothing at all.
Originality-7/10. Yes it's a concept borrowed from Brain Training but it's done in a very unique and clever way that feels fresh and original.

Total score
30/50

Overall this is the best learning experience I've seen put into a game. Whether your a young child just learning how to use numbers or an adult you will be hooked and you'll try repeatedly to break your own top scores. The scoring system of the game makes you want to come back for more whilst the quick game is the most frustratingly brilliant thing I've seen on the Android market so far. Eddie Hsu you have made a monster!

Game Mark B+