Review: Math Blaster

Title: Math Blaster

Creator: Knowledge Adventure (makers of Jumpstart)

Short Description: MathBlaster.com is a futuristic online adventure packed with wacky aliens, high-tech gadgets and, of course, math! As new recruits at the prestigious Blaster Academy, your kids will play arcade-style math games and race through high-speed missions with the help of a cast of characters that are out of this world! After learning the ropes in Blaster Academy, new cadets will join the Intergalactic Space Patrol (ISP), an elite team of Blasters sworn to explore and protect even the furthest galaxies and deepest black holes of the universe. Armed with the most advanced gadgets and fine-tuned math skills, the cadets of the ISP will travel to exotic new planets, discover bizarre alien races and face extraordinary challenges!

Review: Feb 2009 I did a review for Jumpstart's virtual world. So when Knowledge Adventure contacted me asking if I would review their latest virtual world: Math Blasters I happily accepted!! My kids have been playing jumpstart's virtual world on and off the last year and were thrilled with getting the chance to try out the newest features in both worlds! Of course Math Blaster did not disappoint us one bit!

The kids enjoyed making their online character and went straight to work playing the games. Their favorite game turn out to be Oozami (pictured above). In this game you have find the correct math problems and make it to the top before the ooze gets you. 

For example you can choose to work with place values. The game, for example, will tell you to find the 3 in the ones place (see picture below).  At various stations there are numbers.  You have to find the correct number with the 3 in the ones place. You have to find so many of them before the time runs out and the ooze catches up to you.

Besides place values you can do math problems or work with money. Personally I like the money version of oozami the best seeing WP (my daughter) still needs to work on this skill. In this version of the oozami you have to find the correct money combination that is equal to the value you are looking for. For example the game can tell you to find 31 cents. If you see the combination of a quarter, nickel, and penny then you would want to select it because those things together equal 31 cents.

Another cool feature of this game, besides working on math skills is how it (for members) can link up to jumpstart.com original online world at jumpstart.com. My kids enjoyed being able to go from one world to the other by using the portals within the games themselves. Math Blaster can be a stand alone game, but it's really an extension to jumpstart.com virutal world. Membership to Mathblaster.com gives you full access to mathblaster.com AND jumpstart.com AND the ability to download 4 downloadable PC games. (Membership costs $74.99 per year)

Honestly, my kids have enjoyed Math Blaster so much that I'm seriously considering buying the Nintendo DS version of the game for them. Math Blaster even has mobile versions of the game: only compatible with IPhone, IPad or ITouch.  (FYI: I seen on Math Blaster's Facebook Page that they had a promo code for the mobile game: Math Blasters HyperBlast and are looking for reviewers.)

Overall I'm really pleased with what Math Blaster has to offer and that's saying a lot for a site that is only about 2 months old. Knowledge Adventure has done a fantastic job with the site and I look forward to seeing what is in store for Math Blaster's future by following the Math Blaster Blog and the Math Blaster Facebook Page.

Disclosure: I was provided with a membership good for Math Blaster and Jump Start at  no cost by Knowledge Adventure in order to test the products’ abilities and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were not influenced by the company or the free product provided.