Operation Math
Who knew that math could save the world
App Details
Developer – Spinlight Studio
Age Range - 6 to 12 year olds
Subject – Numeracy
Rating – 86/100
Price – £2.29 / $2.99
App Store Link – http://geni.us/3B9w
Play Store Link – http://geni.us/C4s
Windows Store Link - Not Available
App Review
Operation Math is a well thought out app that puts students in the shoes of a secret agent, known as Agent Prime. The goal is to stop the plans of the evil Dr. Odd who is trying to rid the world of even numbers. Agent Prime must race against the clock to enter codes (i.e. answers to math problems) in a quest to foil him.
Operation Math is essentially a drill and practice app but because of this backstory and the accompanying spy-themed graphics and audio, children will be drawn in by it and will enjoy completing the various missions. They can choose any combination of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division sums and have the ability to opt for the easy, medium, or hard levels.
Each mission has a different objective which is explained to the player. For example, Mission 1 states “An intercepted email has traced Dr. Odd’s activities to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Chicago. You have 60 seconds to find his mainframe, set your charges and clear five security doors. Good luck, Agent Prime.” These security doors can only be opened by working out the answers to sums and keying them into the on screen keypad.
If students are able to solve these computational problems in the time set, the mission is a success but if they run out of time, the mission fails. At this point they can either try again or go to the training area where they have the opportunity to practice their skills without the pressure of racing against the clock.
There are a total of 105 missions to complete and players earn various secret agent items (e.g. watches and uniforms) as they progress. The Records area keeps track of how many successful missions have been completed for each assignment. The app facilitates three separate profiles which is probably more than sufficient for home use but, from a classroom perspective, it would be nice to have the option of adding more agents.
Operation Math does not have any adverts or in-app purchases and links to other Spinlight Studio apps are protected by a parental gate. The spy theme is most likely to appeal to boys but it would be useful to have the option of selecting a female spy. Operation Math will be most effective for children who already have a good grasp of the basics and just need the opportunity to improve their speed of recall. In the process they get the chance to save the world, not bad for £2.29!
Peter
Educational App Advice
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