The Master of Mischief is planning to take over the Shady Glen Television (SGTV) Station. He is hiding out in one of the station’s rooms. The challenge is to find the Master of Mischief’s hideout and stop him by midnight. The user, called a Super Solver, must collect clues and capture secret codes to find the room where the Master of Mischief has concealed his hideout in order to save the Shady Glen TV Station. The Super Solver signs in on the Club Member Sign-In Clipboard and then selects a game: regular, customized, or customized drill for skill game. The Super Solver enters the SGTV station in the lobby, where one sees a sleeping guard, and travels through the TV station on the lookout for Telly, the Master of Mischief’s robot who has the secret code. The Super Solver has a zapper to zap Telly before it zaps him/her of his/her energy. The Super Solver enters the different rooms of the TV station to gather clues. The different rooms are the Game Show, News, Cartoon, Sound, and Equipment Rooms. There is an elevator to bring the Super Solver up and down in search of the clues. In the hallways there is an energizer to restore the Super Solver’s energy. However, the Super Solver must solve a math challenge in order to use this machine. Inside each of these rooms there is an electrical snake which may zap the Super Solver’s energy. The Super Solver must zap it first so that he/she can use one of the objects in the room. The object will display charts, graphs, lists, or spinners along with a story problem. The clock pauses during the math challenge. There is a built-in calculator to compute the answer. The number pad on the keyboard can also used, which may be easier for children with fine motor difficulty. If the story problem is answered correctly, the Super Solver is given clues about the Master of Mischief’s hideout. The clues are put into the Super Solver’s decoder. The Super Solver can see the clues he/she has collected by clicking on the decoder button. Telly will appear with his abdomen in a giant TV screen. The Super Solver must perform a number of calculations, which can be any of the four operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division.

There are two other buttons to assist the Super Solver in deciding which room the Master of Mischief is hiding in. The Match Rule button reveals a pattern of the clues. Clues appear on the screen similar to a one-arm bandit. If the Super Solver is ready to decide, he/she clicks on this button and makes a decision as to what room the Master is hiding in. The Super Solver is then transported to that particular room. If the decision is incorrect, a hole is cut into the floor and the Super Solver disappears. The Master of Mischief says try again if you dare. If the Super Solver is correct, the Master comes out of the hideout spinning like a tornado, putting his hand into the air. At that time a bonus screen appears, and the Super Solver receives points for any time and energy left. Afterwards, the Super Solver can see how he/she ranked in points. There are eight different ranks, from a Trainee to a Champion. Of course, I only achieved the third highest rank of Pro during my use of the program.

There are no inaccuracies that I could discover. This program is appropriate for its intended audience. Even my seventh grade son enjoys this program. There are built in capabilities in OutNumbered! What I really like about the program is that it not only meets NCTM standards, but it also aligns with my district’s math curriculum and the Connecticut Mastery Tests. Students are using problem-solving applications with relevant math activities.

There are eight ranks the user can achieve. In the first rank of trainee, there is a tutorial. In the junior ranking, users can turn on the directions if they are needed. The reading level is appropriate for the intermediate elementary-school grade levels. The program is free of ethnic and gender bias. The Super Solver has a hat/cap on its head. One can’t tell what gender it is.

The program is very easy to use. After an initial overview, most students should be able to use this program independently. The navigation system is easy to use. It relies on the use of the arrow keys and space bar. At times, the user may need to jump over Telly by using the spacebar and arrows. When the Super Solver needs to zap Telly, the spacebar is used by itself. I sometimes found this difficult because of my lack of experience with electronic games. However, many children are much more adept at these skills. This program is aesthetically pleasing. The graphics, sound, and animation are entertaining and often functional to the learning process. 

This program makes excellent use of the computer. It promotes learning through play. OutNumbered! offers students the opportunity to master basic math facts, develop problem-solving strategies, and improve deductive thinking skills. The player solves real-life story problems. The math challenges make use of graphs, charts, maps, and other objects reflecting real-life contexts.

The program does not include tools for constructing a product. It promotes acquisition of mathematics skills and concepts. The user (teacher, parent, or child) can modify the program by specifying the numbers to be emphasized, the amount of the problem sets, and the type of operations. In addition, the calculator option keeps the focus on the problem-solving process and introduces/reinforces the calculator as an important mathematical tool. The calculator is not available in the drill and practice sets. This is done to encourage players to master basic math facts.

The program monitors the users skill level in drill and practice and problem-solving sections. The level of difficulty is raised and lowered as needed. The program lists the current Super Solvers’ names, their ranks, and lifetime scores. I was able to save twelve names on the Sign-in List. This allows the user to continue the game where he/she left off.

Students are empowered by this program by becoming critical thinkers. The students have many choices to make. They must decide for themselves the best way to achieve their goal. Students could work in cooperative groups to attain their objective or use the program independently.

The teacher does have the option to customize the program by specifying the operation, numbers, and amount of sets that each student needs to work on. An LCD would be beneficial to demonstrate the program with all children before they use it independently.

This program fits perfectly into the classroom environment. This program can be used individually, by a pair of students, or by a small group of students. Classrooms today have a diverse student population with many different ability levels. This program accommodates different ability levels in the classroom because of its leveling capability.

I found this program to be addictive. Once I attained one level, I didn’t want to stop. I believe children would enjoy this program while at the same time increase their deductive reasoning and critical thinking skills. The computational and problem-solving sections align with local, state and national math standards.

OVERALL RATING: 9 out of 10

I found this program to be entertaining and motivating. My students would build their confidence in mathematics as well as critical thinking skills.

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