Getting kids to learn math is usually pretty tough. Endless math tables, skill card drills, a quick peek at a calculator… There has got to be a better way! Enter DetecThink from Intellipath Games, the iOS game that gets kids to hone their math skills, while also brushing up on their puzzle solving skills.
Overview
You are the newest detective at the DetecThink Detective agency. Almost immediately, you’re given a case to solve! But not without getting the latest in cutting edge technology to help you solve your case! Once you’ve collected your backpack full of gadgets, you’re ready to head out on your first case.
Someone has stolen the 500 year old royal crown of Schornfield! Your job is to help clumsy Prince Colin figure out who took it! In addition to a burglary case, you might need to solve a kidnapping too, as the Prince’s sister, Princess Althea, is gone too!
In order to advance in your case, you’ll need to solve various math and logic problems. Most of the math problems are of the “tap the numbers to solve” type of posers. However, they are presented in an entertaining fashion. Need to get across the moat to the castle? complete the math problems to extend the draw bridge, section-by-section. Need to break the code to enter a computer, more math problems. Put a picture frame and its broken contents back together? Math. You get the idea.
In addition to moving the story along, some successfully completed group of math problems also scores a new detective gadget to put into your backpack, for use later in the story. You’ll find the new gadgets will come in handy. They include everything from an invisible object scanner, to a gadget that can make any sound – even a cat’s meow. The gadget helps the player complete each level, and as there are a number of gadgets in the backpack, it takes a bit of logic on the player’s part to decide which gadget to use. Don’t worry though, that’s not a gamebreaker.
The game will likely keep you child’s attention, and you’ll also possibly find yourself wanting to play along. Before the game begins, the player gets to customize and name their avatar, creating the on screen crime solver they’ve always wanted to be.
In addition to the child being able to customize their character, parents can also set the level of math difficulty to bring it more in line with their child’s current math skills. They can also enter their contact information to receive email updates about their child’s progress in the game. Very handy if your kid likes to go it alone in these types of games. That requires an in-app purchase, I’ll get to that shortly.
Skill levels can be set for problems involving numbers up to 10, 50, 99, 500, or 999. Multiple accounts can be setup if you have more than one child, and each kid gets to setup their own avatar.
Verdict
I found DetecThink to be an enjoyable mind exercise, and I believe most younger children will get a kick out of the game, learning something, whether they want to or not. The math problems fit in well with the game, and only pause the game for a short bit as the player figures out the proper solutions to the math problems.
As always with free games of this type, I am less than enamored with in-app purchases, especially those that stop the game in mid-stream, requiring a purchase in order to complete the game. (The $4.99 USD in-app purchase not only unlocks all the rest of the puzzles in the game, it also enables the parental reporting feature, so I’m sure many parents will feel it’s worth it.)
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Price: FREE – With available in-app purchases. Available for the iPhone and iPad, in the App Store. [GET IT HERE]
Pros:
- Entertaining storyline
- Just enough humor and animation to keep the player’s attention
- Helps hone a child’s math and logic skills, while keeping them entertained
- The graphics and music help set the mood
Cons:
- In-app purchases
*Note: The above review was commissioned by the developer in accordance with our app review policy, and has been written in an objective, unbiased fashion.
