Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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

It's great I'm 14 going on 15 in a month but I don't care
because that doesn't stop me from having fun. It's the greatest game. I've only played the 3rd and 4th grade one but they're still and always be my favorite software. If you've never played any of these games and you love computer games; buy this then even if you're older then me. Who cares? Just remember HAVE FUN!!! You won't regret it!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. Could you make one for 10th graders or do you already?

Thank You

I'm not going to just complain about this game doesn't work, I'm also going to write about how great of a game this is.

First of all, I got this around the year 2003. I had an old OLD computer at that time and it worked fine, also we had another computer that wasn't particularly old, but it supported this game. It was my favourite game for many years. It is the most fun kids game I had ever played. I never ever got bored with it.
It's a challenging game, even though it's for 3rd Graders, I got it when I was about 11 and me and Mum struggled with it at times! Probably because it's American and their learning system is harder and different.
I haven't played it for many years, about 3 or 4 because of this one reason.

Now that we have 'newer' computers, even though they are about 6 or 7 years old, they will NOT support this game. It pops up with viruses, won't start or just crash. This is on other computers or laptops of ours too. I have the same problem with 4th and 5th Grade Adventures (these are also very good but far more challenging! And yes, I used to play them on my old OLD computer).

I don't suggest buying this game unless you have a computer than can support old games, otherwise you will be horribly disappointed. At times I long to play this game and relive my childhood, but sadly I can't anymore. I guess 3 stars is a fair rating for this game considering it's a great game, but won't work on the majority of systems these days

This game won't run on my computer. My husband is an IT guy and couldn't get it to work either. He says our antivirus software won't let it download b/c it is registering as spyware or some virus. I am terrible about throwing away receipts so now we have a brand new game that we can't use or return. Complete waste of birthday money for my son.

I ordered the "2 CD Bonus Deluxe" set as pictured on the amazon website.

The software I received from a third party seller appears to be the single CD version shown elsewhere (at a different price) on the amazon website. The software I received also states it is for Windows XP/2000 or older (which is NOT specified on this amazon page but is on other versions of the software on the amazon site) so I worry it may not be compatible with Windows 7 (which is on both laptops in our home.) I will be returning the software unopened.

I am very disappointed and my daughter is very upset.

I likely won't purchase software on amazon again, especially from third party sellers. Even if I do receive a full refund, it will take weeks, and in the meantime my child is upset she won't have the learning software she wanted.

I would like to start this off by saying that I am referring to the original release of this game from quite a while ago. I am Currently 20 years old and a sophomore in college. However, until my middle school years, I was home schooled and my mother turned to games like this to supplement my learning. The Cluefinders were my first exposure to these when I was younger and although it has been quite a while since I was 7 and played these games, I can still remember the impact they had on my learning.

First and foremost, the stories in these games are engaging and that is one of the first things that make children love coming back to the game. I remember wanting to play more and more just to keep the story going. Second, the way the learning is presented is fun, in that you need to figure out the puzzles in order to move forward. I remember getting stuck on this one part because I wasn't dividing right. After that, I never had a problem dividing again.

I remember these games finely and I am glad that they are still around. You can't go wrong getting this for your children.

I'm a retired school teacher and I enjoy working with my grandchildren while they use the Clue Finder's software. When an adult interacts, these programs require logic and planning, rather than just guessing. This "Mathra" program has inspired my 2 hesitant granddaughters to believe in their math ability. And they have all learned the importance of listening and following directions.

Bought this for our granddaughter when she came to visit for two weeks, we couldn't get her off my computer for days. Thank you for a good product