The ClueFinders Math Adventures

The ClueFinders Math Adventures
Developer(s)	The Learning Company
Publisher(s)	The Learning Company
Platform(s)	PC (Windows, Macintosh)
Release date(s)	1998
Genre(s)	Educational/Mystery
Mode(s)	Single player

The ClueFinders Math Adventures Ages 9–12: Mystery in the Himalayas is a computer game in The Learning Company's ClueFinders Series, where the ClueFinders try to recover stolen treasures in a small Himalayan village.

Voice cast

• Chrissie McCarron - Joni Savage
• Clayton Stroope - Santiago Rivera
• Keoni Asia Gist - Leslie Clark
• Brian Michael Gregory - Owen Lam
• Les Hedger - LapTrap/The Elder/Crowd
• Jon Olson - The Apprentice
• Irene Trapp - The Tailor
• Charles Martinet - The Guide
• Sheila Lonie - The Shopkeeper
• William O'Neal - The Yak Herder
• Jackie Brambles - The Writer
• Christopher Oullette - The Stable Boy
• Dionne Quan - The Village Girl
• Debbie Rogers - The Photographer

Synopsis

In a village high in the Himalayas, twenty-four priceless treasures have been stolen. An elder of the village calls the ClueFinders to help uncover the treasures and the thief's identity. Many, including the elder's pessimistic apprentice, believe the Yeti is behind the theft.

However, the clues all point in different directions and it appears a different person is responsible for the theft of each item. All the people state they were forced to hide the stolen treasure against their will and, later in the game, that the Yeti is behind it all. Eventually, the guide takes the ClueFinders to a cave where they find the Yeti. However, the Yeti turns out to be the elder's apprentice in a costume, as he planned to sell the treasure to the West for millions of dollars. With his plan foiled, the apprentice disappears in an avalanche, and though he appears to have survived the avalanche, the apprentice ends up being captured alive by a huge hand, presumably belonging to the real Yeti. The gang then heads home just as the adventure ends.

Game play

The game is set up similar to Clue in that the central goal of each round is to identify three variables - who stole the treasure, which treasure they stole and where they hid it - based on clues. Clues are acquired from playing games and helping the villagers with their work. Once the user has enough clues he/she can limit down the number of possibilities until only one remains. When sixteen treasures are restored, the game is won.

Notes

• The culture of the village looks Tibetan, though the word "Tibet," or variants of it, are never used in the game. It is never mentioned in what country the game is set (it is simply stated it is "high in the Himalayas").
• The Internet Movie Database inaccurately lists the game as being released in 2002. This is actually the date of the game's second version, which was essentially identical to the original save for several minor changes.
• Aside from the ClueFinders themselves, no character in the game is given a name.
• The fact that the Yeti turns out to be a person in a costume is reminiscent of many plots from the Scooby-Doo series. However, in the ending, the apprentice gets captured by a huge hand, presumably a Yeti's, meaning that the Yeti might be real.
• This is the only Cluefinders game that doesn't include a backpack, as nothing is needed to be stored.

Skills

Mathematics

Response

A review by gracepub for ReviewStream.com was generally positive. "I like the fact that I can see her skills improve as she moves through the game. This game is so cleverly developed that my daughter does not realize that it is teaching her the basics of algebra and geometry, fractions, decimals, tables, graphs, number computation, and even problem solving...the main advantage to this game is that parents do not need to understand the math concepts taught to help their children finish the course." The game was given a rating of 9 out of 10.

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to: The ClueFinders Math Adventures

• The ClueFinders Math Adventures at the Internet Movie Database