Math Rabbit

Math Rabbit is a 1986 video game that serves as a spin-off to the Reader Rabbit edutainment series. It was made by The Learning Company for DOS and Apple II. A Deluxe version was released in 1993 for DOS, Macintosh, and Windows 3.x. Then in 1997, the game was remade for Windows and Macintosh under the title "Reader Rabbit's Math 1". The final remake for Windows and Macintosh in 1999 was titled "Reader Rabbit's Math Ages 4-6".

Math Rabbit
Apple II Cover art
Developer(s)The Learning Company
Publisher(s)The Learning Company
SeriesReader Rabbit
Platform(s)Original:
Apple II, DOS

Deluxe:
DOS, Windows 3.x, Macintosh
Reader Rabbit's Math 1:
Windows, Macintosh

Reader Rabbit Math Ages 4–6:
Windows, Macintosh
Release1986 (Original)
1993 (Deluxe)
1997 (Math 1)
1999 (Math Ages 4-6)
Genre(s)Edutainment
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay

The game takes place in a circus and teaches addition, subtraction, and counting in four different games; each game has multiple difficulty settings.[1][2] The game is for ages 4–7.[3] The four games are:

  1. Clown's Counting Games - The player is required to count with a number as a guide to pitch the tone of the musical instrument.
  2. Tightrope Game - The player has to help Reader Rabbit match a picture of objects with a displaying number and discard the pictures that don't match.
  3. Circus Train Game - The player has complete a sequence of numbers each being added to a particular number.
  4. Mystery Matching Game - The player has to match turn over cards and find matching pictures of items and corresponding numbers.

From "Math Rabbit Deluxe" onwards, the games were retitled "Calliope Counting Game", "Tightrope Show", "Sea Lion Show", and "Balloon Matching Game," respectively, but the game objectives and rules remained the same.

Development

Design

The game was originally designed by Teri Perl and programmed by Aaron Weiss. Upon the release of the Deluxe edition, Bill Dinsmore, The Learning Company president and chief executive officer, said: "With the release of 'Reader Rabbit 1' and 'Math Rabbit for Windows,' we now offer five Windows educational software products that help to develop important learning skills".[4]

Graphics

The original art of Math Rabbit was done by Analee Nunan. For Math Rabbit Deluxe 256 color VGA graphics were applied.

Audio

The original music and sound composition were done by Teri Perl and Aaron Weiss. For Math Rabbit Deluxe, Adlib soundtracks were composed.

Educational goals

The activities in the game helped young users to understand number relationships. The game also came with a scope and sequence guide as well as a lab pack.[5]

Reception

Critical reception

The program received highly positive reviews from critics. In particular, the Chicago Sun-Times was a champion of Math Blaster, praising and recommending it in no less than seven separate articles.

The Los Angeles Times said the game was "sweet", though negatively compared it to Millie's Math House.[7] FOGG praised the easy-to-use gaming interface,[1] and The Washington Post thought it was "entertaining"[8] while incorporating valuable lessons into "colorfully fun graphics".[9] Superkids described the game as "excellent" and said it was a great first introduction to educational video gaming for the target audience.[10] Chicago Sun-Times recommended the "outstanding"[11] software for the 1989 holiday season[12] and noted it was among the "high-quality educational software sold",[13] also saying in other article that it was one of the best educational titles for offering a "solid instructional model" that teaching kids the fundamentals of mathematics[14] through "smoothly" integrating the gaming and learning[15] without "bogging them down in mindless mathematical trivia",[16] and example being the teaching of geometry at a very early age.[17] Computer Shopper said the product was "remarkably good software",[18] and positively compared its depth and carde gameplay to Power Rangers ZEO PowerActive.[19] PC Mag said the game was the superior choice over Stickybear Numbers and Math and Me due to its customisation options.[20] Computer Gaming World in 1994 stated that "Math Rabbit is very easy to use, and accommodates different learning styles. It's a fun program kids can really count on".[21]

Commercial performance

The game was the 7th most popular titles in the education category sold across 11 Software Etc. stores in the Washington area in the week ending August 23, 1995.[22]

References
  1. "Math Rabbit". www.fogg.cc. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  2. "Children's educational software still an exploding market". 1994-11-20. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. "READER RABBIT TRIO NOW AVAILABLE ON CD-ROM! - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  4. "TWO AWARD-WINNING RABBITS, 'READER RABBIT 1' AND 'MATH RABBIT,' NOW APPEARING IN WINDOWS! - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  5. Epie Institute (1991). The Latest and Best of TESS: The Educational Software Selector. p. 193. ISBN 9780916087159.
  6. "Math Rabbit Grades K-2" Box Art
  7. SUNILA, JOYCE (1993-10-15). "SOFTWARE REVIEW : Education Made Fun : New computer programs employ adventure and games of skill to help youngsters learn math". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  8. "A Guide For Parents Series: Education Review". 1987-11-01. Archived from the original on 2017-11-08. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. "Computers; Merry Software ... (For Kids' Entertainment and Education)". 1991-12-10. Archived from the original on 2017-11-08. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. "SuperKids Software Review of Math Rabbit". www.superkids.com. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  11. "Reader flummoxed by glitch in software". 1991-09-01. Archived from the original on 2010-01-08. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  12. "Crabb's bottom line". 1989-12-03. Archived from the original on 2017-11-09. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  13. "Holiday Computer Gift Suggestions". 1992-12-13. Archived from the original on 2017-11-08. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  14. "Offspring does parent proud // Aiming for slightly older kids, Reader Rabbit 2 hits mark". 1991-10-13. Archived from the original on 2007-06-05. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  15. "Math Blaster Plus! makes math fun for kids". 1991-06-23. Archived from the original on 2017-11-08. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  16. "Gifts for the computer-lover". 1989-12-03. Archived from the original on 2017-11-08. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  17. "This educational software's a joy to use". 1989-11-12. Archived from the original on 2017-11-08. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  18. "Reader Rabbit's Reading Development Library 3. (Learning Co) (Software Review)(Brief Article)(Evaluation)". 1996-09-01. Archived from the original on 2017-08-14. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  19. "Power Rangers ZEO PowerActive Math. (Saban Entertainment's educational software) (Software Review)(Brief Article)(Evaluation)". 1996-11-01. Archived from the original on 2017-11-08. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  20. Inc, Ziff Davis (1989-02-14). PC Mag. Ziff Davis, Inc.
  21. Mann, Richard O.; McCauley, Dennis; Eiser, Leslie; Haverstock, Mark; Donovan, Felicia; Giovetti, Alfred C.; Savetz, Kevin; Germain, Jack (January 1994). "Reviews". Computer Gaming World. pp. 137–142.
  22. "BESTSELLERS". 1995-08-28. Archived from the original on 2018-05-04. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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