Software:Gizmos & Gadgets!

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Super Solvers: Gizmos & Gadgets
Cover art
Developer(s)The Learning Company
Publisher(s)The Learning Company
Platform(s)MS-DOS, Macintosh
Release
Genre(s)Platform
Puzzle
Racing
Mode(s)Single-player

Super Solvers: Gizmos & Gadgets is an educational science video game designed by The Learning Company. It is intended to teach children between the ages of 7 and 12 introductory mechanics, namely simple machines, magnets, basic electronics, and forms of energy. The original game is compatible with computers running DOS 3.3 or higher and a later CD release added Windows 95 and Macintosh compatibility. A popular game through 1997, The Learning Company, then incorporated with Broderbund, discontinued Gizmos & Gadgets in 1998. Riverdeep eventually obtained the rights and re-released it in some of the "Adventure Workshop" collections.

Gameplay

The objective of the game is to win 15 races in different vehicles against Morty Maxwell at the Shady Glen Technology Center. This is done by moving the Super Solver (who has no facial features) around a series of warehouses to collect vehicle parts by solving puzzles involving principles of physics.

There are 15 races; five races in each of three categories, automotive, alternative energy, and aircraft. The races get progressively harder and the vehicles more complex as the player nears the fifth race in each category.

Characters

  • Super Solver is the user-controlled main character. The user moves the Super Solver around warehouses collecting parts that are used to build the vehicles. The Super Solver goes by the user's name. In the 1997 version, the Super Solver has a voice, which is not set by the user.
  • Morty Maxwell – the game's antagonist. He battles the Super Solver in all 15 races.
  • Cyberchimps – Morty's henchmen. They hang around the warehouse and if the player runs into them they steal one of the parts. The only way to stop them is to throw bananas at them, causing them to sleep and relinquish any part(s) they have taken.

Warehouse

The warehouse where the parts are kept is a maze-like building through which the player must navigate. There are multiple levels and the only ways to travel between them are to be blown by vents, jump off springboards, or jump off trampolines (to move up) or to walk off a ledge (to move down). There is also a "front" (where the player can see the whole warehouse and few boxes are generally visible) and a "back" (which is a small portion of the front where the majority of boxes are). They are separated by doors. Doors begin locked and can only be unlocked by solving a science-related puzzle. Once unlocked the player can move back and forth freely through that door. However, because the only way to reach the majority of the warehouse is through the "front" but since most boxes are on the "back" the player must unlock many, if not most of the doors.

Educational value

In solving the puzzles, players learn about science and mathematical principles, including:

  • Balance – balancing a scale using different weights and distances
  • Electricity – constructing various types of series and parallel circuits
  • Energy – matching activities to energy types: chemical, electrical, kinetic, nuclear, potential, light, heat, mechanical
  • Force – propelling various sized objects into a flashing hole (depending on ramp, gravity and/or friction)
  • Gears – constructing machines using gears of various sizes
  • Magnetics – constructing various north–south pole patterns
  • Machines – building common objects out of simple machine pieces

In building vehicles, players learn about good, better and best principles. For example, that a rounded nose on a car is more aerodynamic and faster than a flat nose, and a pointed nose is better still.

Reception

Allgame gave the game a rating of 4.5 stars out of 5. It said the graphics were "excellent, if cartoony", and that the sound was "loud and clear" and sometimes humorous. It added that the game was "very enjoyable", with substantial replay value. It also noted that "the User's Guide is huge and has plenty of tips to help players solve problems".[1]

Biased Video Gamer Blog said: "If you have to play only one of the Super Solver games, and I am assuming you are an adult, I would probably suggest Super Solvers: Gizmos and Gadgets because it targets the middle school audience". He described it as "a game that can suck your time away".[2]

  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[3] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[4] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[5] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[6] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[7]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[8][9] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[7] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[7]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[10] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[9] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[11] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[12] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[9]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[13] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[14][15][16] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[3] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[17]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[18] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[19]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ "Super Solvers: Gizmos and Gadgets - Review - allgame". http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=13962&tab=review. 
  2. ↑ "The Learning Company: Super Solvers Games Review - Biased Video Gamer Blog". http://biasedvideogamerblog.com/blog:the-learning-company:super-solvers-games-review. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  4. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  5. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  6. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  8. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  10. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  11. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  12. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  13. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  14. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  15. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  16. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  17. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  18. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  19. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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References


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