Mystery Math Town App Review
App Info
Price: $3.99
Overview
Entertaining and educational, Mystery Math Town is an app designed for 6-12 year olds. Highly customizable to fit the needs of multiple users, it is an app that is sure to please a wide range of users. Mystery Math Town includes many of the features parents and teachers look for in educational games that make learning fun.
Features include:
- Highly customizable
- Multiple user accounts
- Wide range of math skills
- Builds the user’s critical thinking skills
Quality
Just when I think Artgig Studio’s latest app is a favorite, they develop a new one that tops it. Their latest, Mystery Math Town, has fantastic artwork, quirky characters, spooky music and sounds; all of which come together perfectly.
The app’s interface is easy to use for those playing the game or customizing the accounts. An in-app help is available for those unsure of how to use the app. A section for parents can be accessed from the help screen. The ability to delete user accounts is one feature found in the parent’s section.
A separate version is available for the iPhone. Both versions are similar and the game plays nicely on the smaller device, too.
Education
Mystery Math Town includes a wide range of math skills, but the game is more than just answering the math problems. This educational game will push the users to use their strategic and critical thinking as they collect numbers to solve future math problems. The user can only store up to 8 numbers at a time so they may need to dump already collected numbers in order to pick up those needed.
As the user works their way through a house, which can be a maze of rooms and outdoor spaces, they will collect numbers. Numbers are used to solve the math problems, allowing the user to proceed through the maze. Math problems in the game are unique in that only the answer is provided. The problems are generated based on what options are set in the user’s account.
Not only is the user collecting numbers as they go, but must also free a specified number of fire flies or collect a specified number of coins. The coins are used to obtain a new portrait in the gallery.
In the setup of the user accounts, an option to use dice and tally marks is available in addition to which area of math the user will use. Dice and tallies make the game a bit more challenging.
Entertainment
Mystery Math Town will provide endless entertainment. Fun can be found right from the start by creating a unique avatar for each user. The avatar can be easily modified.
Changing the area of math and adding the use of dice and tallies should keep the game from being monotonous. The humor found in the app is age appropriate and will result in a few giggles.
Humor in an educational app, yes! Be sure to touch the portraits in the gallery and the houses. The characters say some pretty funny things. Additional interactivity can be found in the houses.
Users outside of the targeted audience are sure to enjoy the app just as much as the kids. Wanting to see what happened after I completed the game, I had a hard time putting this one down and I am definitely outside of the targeted audience.
Value
With the ability to create multiple and customized user accounts, this app is affordable for families and schools. The game can be replayed when the user reaches the end. Changing the numbers to dice and tally marks adds a nice variety to the game play.
A separate iPhone version is available in the App Store.
Child Friendliness
There is an external link on the main screen; however, the user is warned they are about to exit the app. Ideally this link would be moved to the page for parents so kids aren’t even tempted.
