Timez Attack is visually the most immersive and sophisticated game I have reviewed so far. It has been developed by a software team involved in playstation games, and you can immediately tell. By far the best 3d environment of any math game currently out there.
The game teaches the times tables from 2 to 12.
You and the dungeon
Game Play
Your character is a little dragon that needs to find its way out of a dungeon. This dungeon is a fully 3D environment, in which the player’s little dragon can move around freely.
The only way to get out of the dungeon is to
- Find your way through corridors, leadges, jumps, etc
- Jump and run through obstacles
- Beat various types of enemies by answering math multiplication questions correctly, in a given amount of time
That last point deserves some further explanation – the times tables are covered in sequence. So the player starts with the 2s (2 x 1, 2 x 2, 2 x3, …, 2 x 12), then the 3s, 4s and so on up to the 12s.
The enemy has a question displayed on their body, and the player has to answer within a set period of time. If the question is not correct or too slow, the enemy with ‘zap’ or blast your little dragon, and potentially send you back to a lower level to practice some of the questions further.
Fighting an ogre
So by the end of the game, all number sentences have been correctly answered within the allowed time frame. In this way you can be sure your child has definitely mastered the times tables from 1 to 12.
Evaluation
Strengths
- great looking 3d environment
- the interaction in the game cleverly builds in learning how multiplication actually works.
- Combat is very motivating for kids to get the answers right, and quickly!
- You cannot finish the game unless you know the multiplication tables down pat.
Weaknesses
- Enemies may scare some kids
- Combat and being “punished” may harm self-confidence of kids with weaker skills
- After a while, the running around (especially when you were sent back) and answering the same questions again and again can get a bit tedious. But, repetition is essential to learn those times tables well!
Timez Attack Child Test
Our Timez Attack Review cannot be complete without some direct comments from our child testers:
- Wow, this looks cool! Can I play a bit longer?
- Where is the door that I still need to do?
- Yikes, he’s so scary!
Pricing
At the time of writing, Timez Attack retails on-line for US$39.
Verdict
The make-or-break point of the game are the enemies and the battles. If your kids are easily scared, do not like challenging conflict, then this game may not be for them. In our play-testing this applied especially to the girls.
But, if your child likes adventure, then this game should be absolutely perfect.
Scorecard for Timez Attack
| Covers: | Multiplication (times tables) |
| Age Group: | 7-10, ideal for boys |
| Effectiveness: |   4 out of 5 (weaker kids may struggle) |
| Learning vs Fiddling: | 4 out of 5 (plenty of running, jumping, etc will have you fiddle some) |
| Avoids Violence: | 3 out of 5 – Some violence (enemies do “hit” you and look aggressive) |
| Fun Factor: |  4.5 out of 5 |
| Medium: | Online Download Only |
| Platforms: | Windows and Mac |
| Price: | $39.95 (as at Feb 2010) |
| Guarantee: | Yes, 30 days Money Back Guarantee |
| Value for Money: | 5 out of 5 (compared to other games in this genre, you really get your money’s worth) |
| Overall: | 4.5 out of 5 (highly recommended) |
Visit the Timez Attack website. For a related game, be sure to check out our MathRider review.
Feedback
Do you own this game, too? Please share your views and experiences below. Thanks for checking out our Timez Attack review – hope it was useful!
I got the free version of Times Attack, and I find that the game gets quite repetitive after a while, because it’s always the same level you are running through. The only thing that changes is that you throw more snails into the wall.
Is the paid version much better? I know you get more environment, but even those repeat, don’t they?
Hi Kenny, yes, they repeat. You will not get a different dungeon/level layout for each number you play.
Although in the newest release of Timez Attack (version 3), the makers added different versions to the game. The most expensive version ($59.99) now offers 5 different level designs, the cheapest two and the free one only the dungeon layout.
Can anyone explain what this retention feature is they are talking about on the product’s website?
Hi Evelyn, the problem that Timez Attack used to have is that the levels are “locked” to one number. For example, if you play the ‘4’ level, then all multiplication facts for the number four are rehearsed and if you play the ‘9’ level, then all multiplication facts for the number nine are practiced.
That means that once your kids completed the level ‘4’, those number facts would not get practiced again until the very end.
To counter that, the game makers added the ‘retention’ levels. Basically they are in between the regular levels and have the player answer math facts from all the number levels they have played so far. This really helps kids to recall all number facts learned, rather than forget some of the not so recently played ones again.
My take: ‘retention’ feels a bit ‘tacked on’, but is a great idea and quite essential for true mastery of multiplication. It’s not available in the version though, making the paid-for versions more compelling.