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Morty Maxwell, the Master of Mischief, tries to take over a television station in Shady Glen. Morty hides in one of the television station rooms at SGTV (Shady Glen Television Station) and plans a complete takeover at midnight. The player or "Super Solver" is the only one who can stop him and save the citizens of Shady Glen. The only one who knows where Morty is hiding is his robot assistant, Telly. The Super Solver must use math and problem solving skills to find the Master of Mischief by midnight. The Master gave Telly pieces of a secret code and hid clues in each of the TV station rooms. The station includes a Game Show, News, Cartoon, Sound, and Equipment rooms. There is also an elevator to bring the Super Solver to different levels of the station. An energizer is found in the hallways to restore the Super Solver’s energy, but can only be used after solving a math challenge. If Telly forgets where the Master of Mischief is hiding, the robot can figure it out by matching the pieces of the secret code to the room clues. The Super Solver collects clues by solving math challenges in each room. To get to a math challenge, the Super Solver must move closely to a large object located in the rooms. The object will then present a word problem for the Super Solver to complete using a well-designed chart, graph, or map. The clock pauses during this time. A calculator is also provided so students can focus on problem-solving strategies rather than computation. If the problem is answered correctly, the Super Solver is given clues to the Master of Mischief’s hideout. Telly presents additional challenges. The Super Solver must zap Telly in order to get around the station. If Telly is zapped when its belly is lit up, then the Super Solver must answer a set of drill questions. If Telly’s belly is not lit up when zapped, it will disappear. Also, the Master of Mischief has another assistant, LiveWire, an electric snake, but one zap will get rid of it too. Even though the Master of Mischief, Telly, and LiveWire have the Super Solver outnumbered, the Super Solver can still save the citizens of Shady Glen with the use of his or her problem solving skills. Each time the Master of Mischief’s hideout is discovered, the Super Solver earns points and moves up in rank.

The content of this program is very accurate. It enhances basic skills and fosters the development of problem solving skills necessary for mathematical literacy. This program is very appropriate for students in grades three through grade five and could be used beyond fifth grade by students struggling with basic computation skills. Students below third grade could also use this program as a means of enrichment providing they have the needed reading skills. Directions are given both verbally and in writing. Verbal and written hints are also provided throughout the game. The word problems in this program are written at a level the intended audience can read with confidence. The problems are accompanied by a wide variety of clear and concise graphs that also provide good picture cues. This program is free of ethnic and gender bias. In fact, the Super Solver is neutrally dressed and wears a hat so the gender cannot be identified.

Super Solvers: Outnumbered is very easy to load and use. A user with the slightest bit of experience would be able to follow the directions to install and use this program with ease. With a short overview, students should be able to use this piece of software independently. The navigation system relies on the use of the arrow keys and spacebar. In most situations, this is rather simple. However, when the Super Solver needs to jump over Telly the robot, the spacebar and arrow keys need to be used simultaneously. This was somewhat difficult to coordinate, especially in the beginning.

This program is very aesthetically pleasing. The graphics are exciting and rather realistic and are enhanced by a variety of sound effects. This fast-paced adventure also contains lively animation.

This program makes very good use of technology. It enhances learning by presenting an exciting way to reinforce basic math and problem solving skills. Real-life word problems make math meaningful to students to analyze, structure, and solve word problems.

Students are empowered by their use of critical thinking skills and deductive reasoning in situations that resemble real life. At the same time, students are able to strengthen basic math skills involving basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts. Students primarily would work independently with this program, but it could be used with a small group of students. Although students are not able to construct a product with this piece of software, they are able to utilize essential math and thinking skills to reach a goal. This program also does a nice job of actively engaging students in their learning.

Since this software is primarily designed for independent use, the teacher plays a very small role. The teacher would need to demonstrate the program to students and give a brief explanation before students could use it on their own. Of course more experienced users would most likely be able to figure it out on their own. The teacher can adjust the level of difficulty of the program by selecting specific operations, size of numbers, and the number of sets students are required to complete. There are four levels of difficulty to choose from and work toward.

This program reinforces basic math skills, problem solving skills, and deductive reasoning and thinking skills therefore enhancing the curriculum quite nicely. It also coincides with NCTM Standards and Connecticut Mastery Test expectations. Since this program can be adjusted, it is able to meet the diverse learning needs found in the classroom and within various grade levels.

I enjoyed playing this program. I found the variety of questions and the way they were structured to be quite challenging. This program also became addicting. Once I felt competent playing, I wanted to continue playing with hopes of becoming faster and faster so I could obtain additional bonus points and move up in rank.

Overall Rating (based on a scale of 1 to 10) 9

I found this piece of software to be very entertaining and motivating while enhancing essential mathematics skills. Also, I thought it provided students with an excellent context for developing problem solving, deductive reasoning, and thinking skills.

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