Mission: T.H.I.N.K.

Last updated
Mission: T.H.I.N.K.
SuperSolversMissionTHINKBoxShotPC.jpg
Windows cover art
Developer(s) The Learning Company
Publisher(s) The Learning Company
Composer(s) Yellowjackets
Platform(s) PC (Windows, Macintosh)
Release
Genre(s) Puzzle
Mode(s) Single-player

Mission T.H.I.N.K. (Thinking Hard Inspires New Knowledge) is the final addition to the Super Solvers series created by The Learning Company. Morty Maxwell tries to take over the Shady Glen Game Factory with help of the Metal Minions. Also the original score in the five levels is by the famous fusion ensemble Yellowjackets. The game cultivates critical thinking skills by encouraging players to solve puzzles and create strategies. [2]

Contents

Production

The game was part of a promotion with Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc., where along with Where in the U.S.A. is Carmen Sandiego? and Reader Rabbit's Kindergarten, the game featured in The Family Learning Fun Pack, and packaged inside Tootsie products. [3]

Gameplay and plot

Players must complete five levels to finish the game. The levels themselves are identical to the ones featured in an earlier game, Gizmos & Gadgets! . Each level involves going through a warehouse, solving puzzles to open doors, and collecting pieces that must be used to win a checkers-like strategy game at the end of the level. While exploring the warehouse, the player must avoid having their pieces stolen by the Metal Minions. A magnet can be thrown to trap a Metal Minion and reclaim a stolen piece - the magnets themselves can be used an infinite number of times. After beating Morty at all five levels, a puzzle is put together portraying him leaving the factory. Along the way, the player is helped by Rusty, a Metal Minion who didn't like what Morty was doing.

Critical reception

Hilary Williams of Allgame thought the game was "entertaining", and praised it for cultivating various cognitive skills within the player. [4] [null Rocky Mountain News] wrote the "engaging game" was an easier version of Gizmos & Gadgets! . [5] The Booklist thought the activities within the game are "challenging and skill enriching". [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puzzle video game</span> Video game genre

Puzzle video games make up a broad genre of video games that emphasize puzzle solving. The types of puzzles can test problem-solving skills, including logic, pattern recognition, sequence solving, spatial recognition, and word completion. Many puzzle games involve a real-time element and require quick thinking, such as Tetris (1985) and Lemmings (1991).

<i>Sokoban</i> 1981 video game

Sokoban is a puzzle video game in which the player pushes boxes around in a warehouse, trying to get them to storage locations. The game was designed in 1981 by Hiroyuki Imabayashi, and first published in December 1982.

The Learning Company (TLC) was an educational software company founded in 1980 in Palo Alto, California and headquartered in Fremont, California. The company produced a grade-based line of learning software, edutainment games, and productivity tools. Its titles included the flagship series Reader Rabbit, for preschoolers through second graders, and The ClueFinders, for more advanced students. The company was also known for publishing licensed educational titles featuring characters such as Arthur, The PowerPuff Girls, SpongeBob SquarePants or Sesame Street.

Mathematical puzzles make up an integral part of recreational mathematics. They have specific rules, but they do not usually involve competition between two or more players. Instead, to solve such a puzzle, the solver must find a solution that satisfies the given conditions. Mathematical puzzles require mathematics to solve them. Logic puzzles are a common type of mathematical puzzle.

<i>Zoombinis</i> Video game series

Zoombinis was a series of educational puzzle computer games that were originally developed by TERC and published by Broderbund. In 1998, Broderbund was purchased by The Learning Company, who took responsibility for developing and publishing the series in 2001. The series consists of three games: Logical Journey of the Zoombinis (1996), Zoombinis: Mountain Rescue (2001), and Zoombinis: Island Odyssey (2002). Logical Journey was remade as Zoombinis for modern operating systems in 2015. The series focuses on the Zoombinis, small blue creatures each with different appearances and personalities, which the player must guide through strange puzzle-filled lands.

<i>The ClueFinders</i> Childrens educational software series

The ClueFinders is an educational software series aimed at children aged 8–12 that features a group of mystery-solving teenagers. The series was created by The Learning Company as a counterpart to their Reader Rabbit series for older, elementary-aged students. The series has received praise for its balance of education and entertainment, resulting in numerous awards.

<i>Challenge of the Ancient Empires!</i> 1990 video game

Challenge of the Ancient Empires!, also known as Ancient Empires is an educational computer game created by The Learning Company in 1990 for both MS-DOS and Macintosh. It is designed to improve history, logic, and problem solving skills in children ages 7 to 10.

<i>Treasure Mountain!</i> 1990 video game

Treasure Mountain! is an educational video game published by The Learning Company in 1990 for DOS, Windows and Macintosh. It teaches children aged five to nine reading, basic math, and logic skills. Treasure Mountain is the third installment of the Super Seekers series.

<i>OutNumbered!</i> 1990 video game

OutNumbered! is an educational video game published by The Learning Company in 1990 for both Windows and Macintosh PCs. It is aimed at children ages seven to fourteen and is designed to teach children mathematical computation and problem solving skills.

<i>Midnight Rescue!</i> 1989 video game

Midnight Rescue! is an educational and entertainment hybrid computer game created by The Learning Company in 1989 for Windows and Macintosh PCs. The program is designed to help strengthen the reading and critical thinking skills of children grades three to five.

<i>Treasure Galaxy!</i> 1994 video game

Treasure Galaxy! is an educational computer game published by The Learning Company in 1994 for both Windows and Macintosh. It is aimed at children ages 5 to 9 and is intended to teach children reading, basic mathematics and logic skills. Treasure Galaxy is part of the Super Seekers games.

<i>Gizmos & Gadgets!</i> 1993 video game

Super Solvers: Gizmos & Gadgets is an educational science video game designed by The Learning Company. It is intended to teach children between the ages of 7 and 12 introductory mechanics, namely simple machines, magnets, basic electronics, and forms of energy. The original game is compatible with computers running DOS 3.3 or higher and a later CD release added Windows 95 and Macintosh compatibility. A popular game through 1997, The Learning Company, then incorporated with Broderbund, discontinued Gizmos & Gadgets in 1998. Riverdeep eventually obtained the rights and re-released it in some of the "Adventure Workshop" collections.

<i>Spellbound!</i> 1991 video game

Spellbound! is an educational computer game made and distributed by The Learning Company aimed at teaching spelling, vocabulary, and language development to children ages 7 to 12 years. The objective of the game is to play spelling-related games to qualify and compete for successively higher bracket spelling bees, concluding with the player competing in the national spelling bee. The original game, released in 1991, was compatible with computers running DOS 3.3 or higher. A 1993 CD release added spoken dialogue and was compatible with Windows 95 and Macintosh.

<i>Take No Prisoners</i> (video game) 1997 video game

Take No Prisoners is an action video game released in 1997, developed by Raven Software.

<i>Revolution</i> (video game) 1986 video game

Revolution is an isometric 3D puzzle video game released by U.S. Gold in 1986 for the ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC. It was programmed by Costa Panayi and is a development of the earlier 3D games Highway Encounter and Alien Highway.

<i>Blues Birthday Adventure</i> 1998 video game

Blue's Birthday Adventure is an educational video game for children from the ages of 3–6 years of age. The game is based on the pre-school television program Blue's Clues, specifically the episode "Blue's Birthday". It was developed and published by Humongous Entertainment. The game is about how Steve tries to find three clues to figure out what Blue wants to have for her birthday.

<i>Carmen Sandiegos Great Chase Through Time</i> 1997 edutainment video game

Carmen Sandiego's Great Chase Through Time is a 1997 edutainment point-and-click adventure game developed by Broderbund for Microsoft Windows and Macintosh devices. The game is a remake of the 1989 time-travel title Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego?, making it the second Time video game in the Carmen Sandiego franchise. The game was strongly influenced by the short-lived PBS game show, Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego?. The game was previewed at the 1997 Toy Fair in New York City. A demo version was included on the CD for Carmen Sandiego Word Detective and was available on the Carmen Sandiego website. After Broderbund was sold to The Learning Company, the game was re-released with the new title - Carmen Sandiego's Great Chase Through Time - but with minimal redesign.

<i>Carmen Sandiego Math Detective</i> 1998 video game

Carmen Sandiego Math Detective is a 1998 Carmen Sandiego video game. It is similar in structure to Carmen Sandiego Word Detective, which was released a year before.

<i>Perchang</i> 2016 video game

Perchang is a physics-based game about getting little balls into a funnel. It was released on IOS on June 22, 2016 by Perchang Games.

<i>Hexcite</i> 1998 video game

Hexcite: The Shapes of Victory is a 1998 Game Boy Color game developed by Gu Inc. in Japan and Landwarf in North America, and published by Ubi Soft. The game was a launch title for the Japanese release of the Game Boy Color.

References

  1. ↑ "Video game: Super Solvers Mission: T.H.I.N.K. - an Action-Packed Learning Game".
  2. ↑ Oh, Paul (September 1998). "Guide to curriculum-specific software". Instructor, Primary Ed. 108 (2). New York: 64–67. ProQuest   211355530.
  3. ↑ "Tootsie Rolls Offers Consumers Free Learning Software. (Brief Article)". Professional Candy Buyer. 1999-05-01. Archived from the original on 2018-11-17.
  4. ↑ "Super Solvers: Mission T.H.I.N.K. - Review - allgame". 2014-11-16. Archived from the original on 2014-11-16. Retrieved 2016-09-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. ↑ "KIDS ON COMPUTERS. (Home Front) (Review)". Rocky Mountain News. Tribune Media Services. 1998-05-03. Archived from the original on 2018-11-20.
  6. ↑ Fitzhugh, Kathleen (August 1998). "Super Solvers--Mission T.H.I.N.K.". The Booklist. 94 (22): 2027. ProQuest   235402438.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.