Available in the App Store

[appimg 441919897]

Factor Samurai is similar to the ever popular Fruit Ninja – with an educational twist. Players have all the fun of slicing & dicing, but the only way to advance is to show off some slick math skills. Instead of cutting fruit on the fly, the player must identify divisible numbers as they spin across the screen.

The object is to slice through those divisible numbers and any divisible factors that go flying after you strike. But watch out! They fall fast and your score gets docked for any divisible numbers you miss. Hitting too many prime numbers will end the game long before you are ready. However, if you are math master, you will be rewarded for building points by earning different colored swords.

Who is it for? I have yet to find anyone who can divide who doesn’t enjoy this app. My 6th grade students love it. My 2nd grade son adores playing, and he doesn’t even know how to multiply or divide yet. He gets by on pure memorization because he loves all things Ninja and wants the blue sword. I can also own up to being a little addicted to it myself (and my co-workers are, too).

The benefits: It is fast paced, has multiple levels of play, and builds on an already popular game format. It is a fun way to practice math facts, and gets more challenging as the player gets better.

The drawbacks: It isn’t an app for younger kids who haven’t yet learned multiplication & division. Once the game is over, you have to start back at the beginning each time. And it is currently not compatible with 3rd generation iPads, although the developer assures me an update is coming soon.

Bottom-line: You really can’t lose on this one. The game is free, fun, and educational. Best of all, it is made for intermediate age kids who often get a little left out when it comes to educational apps. Factor samurai is a great way to learn times tables. You play as the samurai whose sacred duty is to cut all the numbers down to their prime factors.

You will be thrown one number after the next, cut them up if they can be factored into smaller values, if not, if they are prime, do not cut them.

Prime numbers are numbers that cannot be divided into small whole numbers. One, two, three, five, seven, eleven, and thirteen are all examples of prime numbers. Four is not prime because it can be broken down in the whole numbers two times two.

Factor Samurai is a great way for children to learn times tables in a fun and engaging way.