Snootz Math Trek consists of five activities tied loosely together by a story. Flarn and Floozle, two young residents of planet Snootz have been chosen to go to Earth in quest of five items (e.g., a pickle, balloon, basketball, and other things common to us). Children get one of these items each time they complete enough of a math activity; if they want, they can continue with the activity after they get the item. When they have all five items, they can send Flarn and Floozle back to planet Snootz.

The activities involve the mathematics of logic, geometry, and coordinate graphing. Most of them offer worthwhile mathematical experiences, although children are likely to outgrow some of them quickly as their skills develop.

The most mathematically rich is Bump the Bumptz, a strategy game similar to the classic game Nine Men's Morris. Bump the Bumptz is played on a grid, with two players. Children can play against an on-screen or real-live opponent. Players arrange their Bumptz (circular markers) on the grid, with the aim of blocking and capturing their opponents' Bumptz. Successful play requires careful planning, logical thinking, and reasoning about your opponent's likely goals. Some children will naturally develop their strategies as they play. Others will benefit from an adult or experienced player encouraging them to think about possible moves and their consequences: What's the best move you can make now? If you move this Bumptz to the left, will you leave any of your other Bumptz unprotected? What is your opponent likely to do next? How many moves would it take for you to move this Bumptz to this "safe" spot on the grid? Can you think of anything your opponent could do to foil your plan?

At the other end of the mathematical spectrum is the activity Street Music. Children are presented with a screen full of characters that, when clicked on, produce sounds and accompanying animations--a woman plays a violin, a cat meows, a theater marquee announces today's features. The task is to repeat an increasing sequence of these sounds/animations. They start with three (e.g., the dog, the waiter, and the dog again), and when they correctly repeat them by clicking on the appropriate characters, another is added (e.g., now it's the dog, the waiter, the dog, and the violinist). Each sequence terminates after several (up to ten or more) sounds/animations. Since each sound/animation takes several seconds, the activity can get quite tedious. First you need to watch the increasingly long sequence performed, then you need to do it all yourself. The mathematical value of this activity is unclear, and the activity holds little potential for children's long-term engagement and challenge. Children are likely to persevere with this activity only until an item on the Snootz list appears on the screen, whereas with Bump the Bumptz, they may well be engrossed enough to want to continue playing once they get the item. The other three activities, Hide and Seek, Al's Garage, and The Elevator, all offer some valuable mathematical experiences but limited potential for continued challenge as children's math knowledge grows. For instance, in Hide and Seek, children find a character "hiding" in a coordinate grid depicting a city. When they click on a grid square, they're given a clue about whether the character is north, south, east, or west of the square they're on (e.g., north of row 3, or west of column B). They can use an on-screen compass to help them. They continue using clues about grid location to narrow the range of possible hiding places, until they locate the character. While this activity provides practice with coordinate grids and maps, it becomes tiresome quickly. When we tested this activity, we found that once children became comfortable interpreting the coordinate grid, they were ready for more challenge than the activity affords.

Is the Game Equitable?

Snootz Math Trek is designed to address a range of learning styles. In most activities, children can choose from two or three levels of difficulty. They can gather items for the Snootz list by playing at any level. There is no time pressure, so they can work at the pace that they need, and there's plenty of time to discuss ideas with a partner. Feedback is relatively helpful, and except in the game Bump the Bumptz, children are not penalized for incorrect answers. There is no violence or aggression. There is a mix of activity structures--the game, the four activities in which children solve given tasks, and the (somewhat limited) opportunities in most activities for children to pose their own tasks.

Learning about the activities and goals of the game may pose difficulties for children uncomfortable gathering information on their own. Children can find out what to do in two ways, both with some limitations. One way is by listening carefully to the verbal information at the start of the game and each activity. If children happen to be paying little attention when these instructions come on, they may miss important information--including the fundamental fact that they need to look at the Snootz list for the five items, and then do the activities until these items appear on the screen.

Children can also learn about the activities and game as a whole by going to the on-screen "library," where they can read about the rules and goals of all the activities (as well as some very interesting off-computer projects and games, and a weak section on what you learn from the activities). The library information, while comprehensive, requires more reading than some children in the 6-10 age range may be comfortable with. Furthermore, when you're reading in the library, the activity screens aren't up in front of you, which can make it hard to follow everything. This is particularly an issue with Bump the Bumptz, which has somewhat complex rules. Another difficulty is finding out about the library in the first place. Children navigate through the game from a screen showing a city map with various buildings, some of which lead to activities when clicked on. Unless children happen to click on the library and then open the "books", they may not know that they can get information there.

Some children will find it helpful to have an adult or child more experienced with the game at least initially present to offer explanations. Children will also benefit from some reassurance that eventually the items on the list will appear -- whenever the computer deems that the player has done enough to merit them.

There are few characters in Snootz Math Trek, and a small amount of gender stereotyping. For instance, in The Elevator, the female Floozle tries on clothing. The male Flarn takes photos of her in completed outfits. In general, though, the gender stereotypes are not obtrusive.

Is the Game a Good Game?

Neither the story of the Snootz Trek nor the majority of the activities are likely to compel most children to play the entire game again and again. However, children have some flexibility in how they use Snootz Math Trek. They can follow the story structure and complete each activity, or they can ignore the story entirely, and choose just to work on those activities they find most interesting and challenging. Many children are likely to do the latter. Research suggests that girls are more attracted to computer games that offer strong stories, but the girls we observed playing Snootz Math Trek did not seem to find this story engaging. Indeed, the story line in Snootz Math Trek is easy to ignore: the activities have little to do with the story, Flarn and Floozle are not well developed characters, the goal of playing until you get all five items is not particularly salient, and there's little motivation to gather all five items. Yes, once you have them all you can press the "Blast Off" button and send Flarn and Floozle back to their planet, but then you can keep on doing the activities just as you could before, so why bother -- especially if there's an activity you don't feel like completing. On the other hand, those children who do get engrossed in the Snootz story can use the library to read up on "Snootology" -- the planet Snootz, its inhabitants, and the Snootian language. In summary, many children will enjoy and learn from Snootz Math Trek -- to a limited extent. Although this may not be a game that children return to again and again over time, it can provide some fun and worthwhile math experiences, especially if an adult or more experienced player is available to explain activities when needed.