ClueFinders 3rd Grade Adventures: Mystery of Mathra [OLD VERSION]

by The Learning Company

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000691KC
• Item model number: 381579
• Date first available at Amazon.com: March 14, 2006
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,105 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

From Children's Software Revue® -- "Subscribe Now!"

This add-on CD is now included with all of the current ClueFinders' products. One game for each of the four ClueFinder kids is accessed through the villains' mansion control room. Players earn points as they play the arcade-like games with the seemingly endless goal of escaping. Kids guide the characters through tough mazes and obstacle-filled courses, jump on books containing categories of words (e.g. geography, birds), and play an unusual game of pinball. Goals are unclear and hard to reach. This is more of an afterthought than a well-developed set of games. Also, the opening screen is used as an advertisement for other Learning Company products, a confusing startup for the kids.
Teaches:
Age Range: Copyright © 2001 Children's Software Revue

Product Description

An entire year of 3rd grade, in one thrilling adventure!

Product Information

When exotic animals disappearand a world-famous scientist vanishes, the ClueFinders know something fishy's afoot. Join these bold adventurers on a clue-searching trek into the depths of the rain forest. From reading maps to building bridges, every activity brings you closer tounraveling an astonishing mystery - and to mastering important 3rd grade skills!

A personalized learning experience:

• Places your child at just the right skill levels
• Adjusts to keep pace with yourchild's abilities
• Provides help when your child needs it
• Tracks your child's progress in every area

Make a startling discovery deep in the jungle!

• Addition
• Subtraction
• Multiplication
• Division
• Word problems
• Using money
• Reading
• Vocabulary
• Parts of speech
• Grammar
• Synonyms
• Antonyms
• Lifescience
• Earth science
• Physical science
• State capitals
• Read maps
• Use legends
• Use logic
• Find patterns
• Organize data
• Test hypotheses

Fun Activities Include

Venture deep into the Rain Forest and build essential 3rd grade skills.

• Language Arts: Identify antonyms, synonyms, nouns, verbs, and more to build a bridge across the bottomlessabyss.
• Reading: Learn elementary science and build reading comprehension skills as you place sentences in the correct order.
• Math: Add the monetary value of these coins to help the monkeyopen the chest.
• Science:  Help Santiago and Joni

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Clue to Making Learning Fun, May 5, 2004

By 

A. L. Hermitt "ahermitt" (, GA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: ClueFinders 3rd Grade Adventures: Mystery of Mathra [OLD VERSION] (CD-ROM)

I purchased Cluefindes 3rd Grade Adventures about 6 weeks ago, and since have watched my child use it to completion. She has played it 4 times and will probably play it again in the future. In the meantime, she has moved onto the 4th grade game.

Setting up the game is pretty easy, and the directions are clear. Starting up is a cinch as well. You have the options of taking the test drive which is a placement test. It is not as much fun as the actual game, but it is not too boring either and it gets the child started at a challenging level. The first time my child "played" it she started at the beginners level, and finished it in two days. The second time, I set it to level two and it took her a week to complete. The third time I had her do the test drive. This is where the real value came in.

When she started the game on the lowest levels she was basically reviewing what she had learned the previous year, which is a good thing. But, when she played the game after the placement test, she was truly challenged to learn more. I never imagined in a million years that a child would follow me around begging to be taught long division. She could not cross a bridge in the game without being able to divide. So I taught her and she practiced and cemented the skill by playing the game.

As a homeschooler leaning towards self directed learning, I found this game to be invaluable. It gives me the freedom to wait for a child to be ready to learn a skill while at the same time ensuring that such comes quickly through constant challenges. After all, the best time to teach a child a skill is when they want to learn it. This game provided that want for me.

This game does not teach skills your child must know, but provides challenges. The way I use it is to wait for a challenge to be presented, and then teach that child whatever they need to succeed and overcome that challenge.

The only problems I had with this software is that each time the child finished the game, they had to start again with a new member name, it would not let us back into the game as the same person. This did allow me to compare the membernames records to check for progress which was evident.

If you purchase the 2 cdrom version of this game, with the personalized learning center, you will be able to print worksheets according to your childs strengths and weaknesses and to see where the child needs more practice. You will also be able to spot where your child may be gifted.

The personalized learning center disc, however is not formulated to give a child a "grade" based on how well the child did in the program, but to show progress over time. Therefore, If you are a homeschooler and grades are important to you, you will want to "test" the child separately perhaps using the worksheets or making up your own exams.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well rounded, July 27, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: ClueFinders 3rd Grade Adventures: Mystery of Mathra [OLD VERSION] (CD-ROM)

My 6 year-old son has enjoyed this program a great deal, though the more difficult levels are beyond his current skills. Cluefinders features fairly generous dialog, simple yet colorful graphics, and even a bit of music, critical elements in distinguishing it from a tedious math and language drill.

Like most educational programs, the close involvement of an adult is very important at the outset. Once my son had learned his way around, he was very motivated to play on his own, and I think he'll come back to the program periodically in the future as his skills grow.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars amazing tool for elementary school kids, August 17, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: ClueFinders 3rd Grade Adventures: Mystery of Mathra [OLD VERSION] (CD-ROM)

you can never stop learning and school is not the only place you can learn. This is perfect for giving to your kids to play after school while you make dinner or something. Much better than sitting in front of the television or playing video games. This one is an EDUCATIONAL video game that teach skills in academic and core subjects in a fun, presentable, age appropriate manner. My sister had all the cluefinders, magic school bus and all the games like that and she's now the top student in her grade and is in a gifted students program. These type of games can really bring out the best in children by providing recreation, education and even brain teasers that challenge them in a friendly manner. Highly recommended