Software:Math Blaster Mystery: The Great Brain Robbery

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Short description: 1994 video game
Math Blaster Mystery: The Great Brain Robbery
Cover art
Developer(s)Davidson & Associates
Publisher(s)Davidson & Associates (Original)
Knowledge Adventure (Remake)
Producer(s)Don DeLucia
SeriesBlaster Learning System
Platform(s)Windows, Macintosh
ReleaseOctober 5, 1994
Genre(s)Adventure, educational (mathematics)
Mode(s)Single-player

Math Blaster Mystery: The Great Brain Robbery is a product in a line of educational products created by Davidson & Associates that takes place in a different universe from the original Math Blaster. It has no relation to Davidson's earlier Apple II game Math Blaster Mystery. The game was released in North America, Sweden and Spain. The game was remade in 1998 with the title Math Blaster: Pre-Algebra. The game is regarded as a 'Review and Practice' type of software.[1]

Plot

In the original game, Dr. Dudley Dabble has stolen the brain of the maths genius Big Brain to win in the great mathematics competition. Rave goes to the mad scientist's mansion to liberate the brain.

In the remake of the game, Dr. Dabble has engineered a brain machine that drains and collects all the mathematics from the population's minds. Rave goes to the mad scientist's mansion three times to disable the machine.[2]

Gameplay

The player has to navigate Rave around Dr. Dabble's mansion solving math puzzles and collecting key items to progress, until Dr. Dabble's lab is reached. The math puzzles consist of multiple choice questions, formulas, arithmetics, estimates, ratios, negative numbers, BODMAS, decimals and algebraic equations. Every math puzzle activity has three different difficulty levels to choose from. By the near end of the game, the player has to win an arcade-style platformer level by throwing goo at Dr. Dabble's critters.

The remake has the same style of gameplay as the original, but with newer graphics, a different mansion layout, additional math puzzles, background and music tracks. There are two game modes: The Explore Mode, which allows the player to freely explore the mansion and focus on specific math topics and the Mystery Mode which requires the player to do all activities and play the game three times to finish it.

Educational goals

Math Blaster Pre-Algebra helps introduce the concept of algebra to users in a creative manner, developing their critical skills required for algebra and advanced mathematics. When a user has difficulty tackling a math problem, the solution is shown step by step to reinforce technique. The entire game teaches a variety of topics in a fun and entertaining way.[3]

Reception

Reception
Review score
PublicationScore
Home PCStarStarStarStar[4]
Award
PublicationAward
Parents' Choice FoundationSeal of Approval[4]

Math Blaster Mystery was given a 4 out of 4 star rating by the Home PC magazine[4] adding that "most games aren't educational AND fun, but Math Blaster Mystery is both".[5] It also received a Seal of Approval from the Parents' Choice Foundation.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Review and Practice Software". http://www.citejournal.org/volume-5/issue-2-05/mathematics/a-taxonomy-of-software-for-mathematics-instruction/. Retrieved December 14, 2016. 
  2. ↑ "Davidson & Associates, Inc. Announces The Blaster Learning System(TM) of Award-Winning Educational Software Titles". http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/davidson--associates-inc-announces-the-blaster-learning-systemtm-of-award-winning-educational-software-titles-77365127.html. Retrieved December 14, 2016. 
  3. ↑ Craig Sorrels. "Math Blaster: Pre-Algebra - Review". Archived from the original on May 2, 1999. https://web.archive.org/web/19990502210225/http://www.kidsdomain.com/review/kdr/preal.html. Retrieved June 6, 2017. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Math Blaster: Mystery back cover". http://img.gamefaqs.net/box/3/2/9/91329_back.jpg. Retrieved December 14, 2016. 
  5. ↑ "Math Blaster Mystery - The Great Brain Robbery". Archived from the original on January 25, 1997. https://web.archive.org/web/19970125235609/http://www.davd.com/products/mbm.html. Retrieved June 6, 2017. 
  • 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.[1] 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".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] 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.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

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.[6][7] 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.[5] 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.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] 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).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] 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.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

See also

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

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 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/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ 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. 
  10. ↑ 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. 
  11. ↑ "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. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "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/. 
  14. ↑ "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/. 
  15. ↑ 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/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
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