Customer Reviews

Math Advantage 2009 [OLD VERSION]

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

 

 

I bought this for my 9th grade daughter. She struggled at first to figure out how to use it and get used to what was expected. She had a C average in Algebra but used this as a tutorial for her final exam and made an A on the last test and final exam, giving her a B for a final grade. It really helped! Another reason I like this software is I paid one price for tutorials that will take her through Calculus. Big bonus! I'm looking forward to this helping in her upcoming Geometry class.

Being primarily self-educated when I decided it was time for me to learn algebra at first I turned to text-books but found that most were poorly written with many steps missing and often what few answers were given on self-tests were incorrect. Most textbooks are written to supplement class lectures and are virtually useless for learning on one's own.

Then I tried the Princeton Review Math Library CD ROM set, which was fantastic. The subject matter was logically organized and the presentation was clear and concise. The first level was a single mathematical principal which, if you were already familiar with it, you could pass and move on to the next. If it was something you were not familiar with you could click on it and get a detailed explanation of that concept (for example a rule of exponents) and, if that wasn't quite enough, you could click a button for an animated walk-through of a problem that shows you how that concept is used. At the end of each section was a self-test with ten questions that gave you practice and confidence using the principals given. Unfortunately as PC operating systems and hardware have moved on my disks became unplayable as the animation audio would 'stick' and repeat infinitely.

Searching for an alternative I purchased 'Math Advantage' hoping it was another Princeton Review but alas, as many of the reviews I read indicated, it is really a poorly written textbook shoved onto a disk. Most of the material is simply long text expositions with a video 'example' here and there where the legal disclaimer that runs before it plays is longer than than the scant and poorly presented 'information' it contains. Since I purchased it, it has been collecting dust and I have gone back to scrounging for a decently written textbook. Overall, very disappointing. I neither recommend this for adults nor for children.

This has plenty of information, but lacks exercises and practice problems - the stuff one needs to do to actually learn math. It's a hassle to navigate between subjects as you have to, for example, quit and close the Algebra program to look at Geometry, so cross-referencing is difficult.

Waste of $30. There's gotta be a better program out there.

I purchased this version (2009) after taking a look at the other versions and comparing content and price. On one DVD, you are getting essentially a textbook with a few extras that will be good for years to come. I think this is a good reference for several different types of mathematics that students will encounter from middle school through college, but in all honesty, I purchased it with my daughter in mind. She's currently taking Pre-Algebra in 6th grade and I wanted to give her a leg-up by offering a supplement at home that was not her textbook.

After playing with the software myself these are my impressions.

INTERFACE: How it Looks

This program is not overly appealing visually, but it's not terrible either. If you have the sound on, the voices (several are used depending upon where you are in the program) are a bit boring. Can anyone really fix that one though? In parts of the program the makers use a space-age theme; in the Algebra Booster for example, there is a math game designed to help kids think algebraically while doing a Pac-Man type game. I played it and found it to be 'OK'. My 11 year old wasn't overly impressed, but I think she was expecting it to play like her other video games. Bottom line: It really looks like something from 1999 versus 2009.

CONTENT: What's on the DVD?

For each of the math subjects: Basic Math, Pre-Algebra, Algebra I... through Calculus and Statistics, there are tabs at the top of the screen.

"Lessons" has subcatagories of 'Basics' and 'Chapters'. This is basically like a textbook or reference book that you can read when you need it. Another tab, "Challenge" is a problem that in the end asks you questions, but I didn't find an answer to the question... just more questions. I guess it's designed to help students think a bit deeper. The third tab is "Exercises", which as you would imagine has questions relating to whatever subject inside a math type you are studying. If you get the wrong answer, it tells you you're wrong, but since they are multiple choice, you never get an explanation, you just get to choose again. You can view your score and get a report on which ones you got right and wrong to review. "Real Life" is a story problem. Using the current skill set to solve an every-day issue. "Animation" is a short video illustrating the current skill. It's the company's attempt to 'cartoon up' the software. For visual learners this will be helpful, but the few I viewed were kind of stupid.

The DVD also has bonus applications: Runes of Avalon and Calculus Ipod material. I couldn't get the link for the ipod material to open on my computer despite having iTunes and an Ipod Touch, but the game, Runes of Avalon, did install and I played it. It's more a spacial recognition game versus a math game, but it looks good (better than the rest of the software) and the gameplay was smooth.

A strange addition to the package was a CD with animal screensavers on it. The animals look like they are licking your monitor clean. Cute, but seemed like it fell into the wrong box!

CONCLUSION: Would I buy it again? Was it what I was looking for in math-help software?

I got a heck of a deal on this one - under 10 dollars when the local warehouse store was still selling it for over thirty. If I'd paid more, I probably would be a bit irked, but for the money paid... I'm happy. I would buy it again and recommend it as a 'reference' source.

As for whether it was what I was looking for... yes and no. I expected explanations of the subjects listed. I got that and examples, just like a textbook would offer. What I didn't get was the ability to print off worksheets and answer sheets for practice. That would have been great! I found a few places online with free worksheets and some paid sites, but I had hopes that this would offer this and it didn't. Some more games would have been great too, as would the ability of the software to give feedback on a step-by-step basis, versus simply 'wrong' and then you figure it out.

This is a good math resource for any math students seeking a supplement to their current textbook, but it is not software that's filled with useful games and printable worksheets. I found the Cliff notes books (such as Algebra I (Cliffs Quick Review) to be just as helpful, but I couldn't put them on my computer and it would be much more expensive to get them all versus this dvd.

Math can be hard, even with a goodly teacher.

Math Advantage 2009 isn't going to magically make you
good at the numbers, but if your already commited to
working at it, Math Advantage 2009 will give you a
hand up.

If your not really interested in math, don't waste
the money. If your already doing the work, this thing
will help a lot.

This product is not good. While I can't really fault the math contained in the program, the delivery is very poor. You would be better off with a text book. The DVD freezes up - it must have some internal bugs. The graphics are elementary (at best) and the DVD is not interactive and I would not recommend this product.

I thought the dvd on math is quite good but the section on calculus is lacking. Calculus is a hard subject, I think more graphic interaction is needed instead of the old fashion reading. With to days technology it could be better.

I thought this program was a lot better since it was recommended by a counselor in a University. No practice at all and explanations are better online.

This product is not very user friendly and they sent me an opened box with a scratched software DVD.