The Number Devil

Details: Category: Computer; By ccgr; 01.Jun; Hits: 8216

Robert doesn\'t like math and to make matters worse his teacher Mr. Buckles is obsessed with silly pretzel problems that don?t make any sense. The number devil visits Robert in his dreams for ten nights. His goal is to help Robert understand the beauty of math and how all the numbers relate to each other.

What kind of math will I learn?

Although I?m no too keen of the idea of a devil helping people out I must say that this game does teach math in an easy to grasp manner and the some of the topics you learn about are at college level. My only gripe is they change the terminology, which I find unnecessary. On the other hand some of the names they come up with are cute. If you are uncomfortable with math, you can always have Robert do the hard work for you. But on the games, you are on your own!

Roman Numerals
Multiplication
Division
Fractions
Hopping numbers-Squared numbers
Rutabagas-Square Roots
Prima-donnas-Prime Numbers
Vroom!-Factorial numbers
Bonacci numbers-Fibonacci Numbers

How fun is it?

Granted this is a learning title but it does have games at the end of each lesson. The games vary from riddles to Tetris and Pac-Man style games. All math based of course. There are three levels to each game and when you master each game the eleventh night is unlocked where you can play a final game with friends.

Graphics

This is a 2D learning game so it doesn?t need cutting edge graphics. It?s very colorful and everything is easy to see and read. The only odd things is that when you start the game, it will prompt you that it best runs in 800x600 resolution. It will run fine at higher resolutions but will have a black border around it. Some of the objects are a little hard and awkward to manipulate but this is more of an interface problem than graphical.

Sound

The voice acting is pretty good in this game. Robert has a little bit of a lisp but it?s cute. The background music and sound effects can be eerie at times but fitting nonetheless.

Appropriateness

The title alone made me unsure of this game but it?s not too bad. The number devil calls Robert a few names like nincompoop, pipsqueak and fool. One of the games has a Hindu god reference to it. Other than those issues this is a great learning title, even if being taught by a bad guy.

Final Thoughts

I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of information packed in this game. It does truly help give an appreciation for math and how everything ties together. Don?t let the title scare you away, it?s worth looking into. The number devil claimed to have invented math, but it?s not as evil as many students may believe.