PixlBit

He goes where no math game has gone before: making math fun! 

First released for computers, Math Blaster was developed by Spidersoft and published by Davidson & Associates. The SNES port was released in 1994. The full title of the SNES game is “Math Blaster: Episode 1,” but the computer version is called “Math Blaster: In Search of Spot” (a Star Trek reference). As a kid, I played several educational computer games, but never Math Blaster (probably because it was released a bit before my time). While the SNES port has “Episode 1” in the title, this would be the only game released for the console. This is no doubt due to poor sales. Most likely educational games didn’t even make a dent compared to more exciting video games. Computers were a much better platform for this genre. Let’s see how the SNES port fares. 

The gameplay is broken up into three distinct sections. The first section has Blasternaut shooting at garbage as he flies through space. At the bottom of the screen there is a math equation; shoot the trash that has the correct answer. You will also have to shoot enemy ships that pop in to shoot at you. The second section has Blasternaut using his jetpack to advance vertically in a cave. You have to make sure that the number displayed on Blasternaut is between the two equations on each side, otherwise you will get shocked. The third section has Blasternaut zooming up into the alien spaceship to save Spot. Again, you have to solve the math equation and enter the correct opening. The controls are fine, although it would have been better if the SNES mouse were compatible. 

The graphics are colorful and pleasant to look at, although they are quite basic. Blasternaut does not look very original, and Spot is just a ball with some arms. But this is a simple kids game, so I can’t really complain. There are some good details in the backgrounds, such as the moon slowly moving to block the sun in the last section. The sounds are good, although they are quite basic and typical. Laser sounds and explosions, things like that. The music is fine, although hearing the same thing loop over and over can get a little annoying.

Before you start the game, you can choose the math level and the game difficulty. The action element of the game makes it more exciting than most educational games. For example, in the second section, you have to shoot aliens with your blaster as you progress upwards. There are also some bonus stages as you play, such as shooting asteroids in the first section or trying to hover around and collect diamonds in the last section. These give the game some variety, and they don’t involve any math.

This game really surprised me: the introduction is fully voiced! And it sounds pretty good! This would have been amazing for the time. Besides that, there are little cut scenes between each section which progresses the story. Speaking of story, it goes like this: Blasternaut and Spot are out in space, when they realize that something is wrong with their ship. Spot goes out to take a look, and that’s when he gets captured by Trash aliens! So Blasternaut calls the high command, who informs him to get Spot back by any means necessary. The intro is excellent! Unfortunately, this is a very typical plot. Too bad they couldn’t come up with something more interesting. 

Unfortunately, the game has no multiplayer mode, and no real incentive to play the game again once you finish (unless you really love math). The game is fun and still playable today, although it’s quite basic. If you want something to help your kids with math fundamentals, this will do just fine. But if you want something a bit deeper, you will want to look in another galaxy.

Final Verdict: 4 Stars--Recommended 

I can't believe I'm recommending a math game...ahem, anyways, Math Blaster is pretty good, especially for an educational game. This is probably one of the better ones on SNES (especially compared to the Mario ones). The space theme is cool, and the game even has some action elements which make it more fun. It’s a very short game, but if you want your kids to learn some math, you can’t go wrong here. It’s just a shame we never got an episode 2 (on SNES, I mean).