=Jumpstart 3rd Grade= The game is set inside Mystery Mountain, a fictional mountain where an inventor, Professor Spark, has built a laboratory and home inside filled with Jetson-like inventions.
The game is set when the Professor leaves to go on a trip to the Inventors' Convention and leaves the robot Botley, programed to be a combination of nanny and friend, in charge of keeping his bratty daughter Polly under control.
At school that day, Polly fails a test on history and decided the best thing to do about it is use her father's latest invention, the Time Machine, to send 25 robots back in time to make her answers right.
The person playing on the program attempts to help Botley recover the robots and save the world.
The user than searchs Mystery Mountain for Mission Clues and Invention Points. The user needs to get four Mission Clues for each mission. The number of Invention Points needed varies based on which TransQuizzer disk they are on. It starts off at 1,000 and increases by 500 for every disk. To get Mission Clues, the user has to play one specific game for each of them, and only that particular game will give the user that particular Mission Clues. Botley will use his powerful sensory devise, to tell the user which games to play. Invention Points are rewared if there are no Mission Clues hidden a particualar activity. Polly remains her father's secret chamber for the entire game with a little robot that looks somewhat like a shark. She occationally drops from moniters which seam to be in every room to talk to Botley, give game instructions, ect.
There is limited amount of "power" in the game. Using the odd inventions in the Mountain wasts electrical power. When the power is low, the user must go to the Jumbo Electro Generator to juice up. The lower the power less activities are available, when there is no power, no activities are acessable, and Botley tells the user to go to the Generator.
Once, this game has been completed, there is no point in playing it again, because there is no increase in power, because you can not have more than 100% energy.
In the Virtual Collection, the user tries to find the work of art that matchs Polly's clue. The art is organized into categories, three works in each category. To change the category one clicks the lever. If the user wants to find out more about a work of art they click on it and Mrs. Beasley(the "resident art expert") tells them more. To see the work of art on the digital display they click it again. If it matchs Polly's clue, then Polly will present the user with another challenge as "lucky guess don't count" according to Polly's Book of Rules. In this activity students reargenge boxes so that all their sides match. The puzzle can use art, synonyms, antonym, nomonyms and mnath. After this activity is completed, the user is awarder the Invention Points/Mission Clue.
In the Painting Gallery activity, students create a painting to illustrate a crazy story written by Polly. The user starts by selecting an appropiete background and then adding stamps. Music/Sound Effects may also be nessarry. When Polly is satisfied, the user recives the Invention Points/Mission Clues.
Rain
Snow
Heat
Sleet
Weather
When the letters of the password are reorganized, the door will open. Students are helpped in this activity by Bothoven, the door-knocker-robot.
Inside the Music Hall, the user meets Maestro Trumbot[spelling not certain] the head of the All-Winning, All-Robot Courus. Here we find out that Polly wants us to play a particular song for her. However she has organized the chips. The user must reorganize them, when they are correct, the Maestro will play the music for Polly and the student will receaive the Invention/Mission Clue.
Naturally, Polly has hidden Invention Points/a Mission Clue in here. The user must fly an Explore into the Biosphere. Flying the Explore reciures "arcade-styled" manovering. If an Explore crashes into the wall too many times, it will explode, and the student will have to start with a new Explore. There are an unlimited number of Explores. When the Explore comes up to an airlock, Polly will appear on the moniter and ask the user a question involving life scinece, if they are correct Polly will open the airlock, and the student may proceed if not, they will have to try again, but with a different question.
The correct answers from Polly's questions appear on a panel. When the user finally reaches the Biosphere, they must find the environment which matches the answer. In that environment, the land on the designated landing pad and click on a key. If it's wrong, it will open revealing nothing. If the user is wrong twice they will have to go back to the begaining. If it's right, the user will be awarded with the Invention Points/Mission Clues.
In the first part of this activity, the student tries to blast the radio tranmission out of the black hole. The use a series of "probs" in this arcade game. Each time a transmission is hit it is knocked one light year away from the center(note that if this was the actually true, all the probs, radio packets, ect. would be larger than the Solar System.)
After the entire transmission is recovered, the user plays a grammar game to rearenge scrambled sentance using the Alien Signal Decoder(Prof. Spark built it to translate messages from extra-terestral beings, however he hasn't yet found any alien transmissions to decode(this seams to contradict with Jumpstart Typing, which has Interplanitary Keyboarding Events.) On Level 3, they also have to they have to remove a word that dosen't belong. When the hint is unscrambled, they use the clue to figure out which constalation Polly sent the Invention Points/Mission Clue. Once the correct constalation is picked, the rocket returns and user is awarded with the Invention Points/Mission Clue.
Down in the Maze there is robot(according to the user's guide this robot is named Buster, but he isn't named in the actual game) which is apparently a new robot. Polly programmed him to put a box countaining the Invention Points/Mission Clue on the edge. She then scrambled them. The student atempts to unscramble them, so that the robot reachs the box and the user recives the Invention Points/Mission Clue.
The user must solve this challenge in order to get a "time key" which allows them to enter the Time Machine, however Polly reprogramed it so it's not just a quiz, but a quiz show called Pollywood Squares(a play on Hollywood Squares.) In this game, the user answers several questions, three for each Mission Clue. The first question is related in some way to the Mission Clue, and the answer to the final question is information needed for the time trip, such as a date or place.
After this activity is completed, the user and Botley travel back in time to rescue one of the robots, and brings them back to the present. The rescued robots are stored in the "robot roost." After a robot is rescued, the user begans a new mission. Once all 25 robots are rescued, the program is completed.
Warning: Spoilers Follow
Once all the robots are rescued, Polly reveals her ultimate plan, to send Botley back to the Big Bang, as she said for the extra credit question that the universe began with a robot named Botley(Polly calls this the Big Bot.) Botley would be destroyed, and, since Ms. Winkle's extra credit questions more than make up for the entire quiz, Polly would still pass.
However, Prof. Spark arrives back from the Inventors' Convention. Polly tries to worm her way out of trouble, but finds herself caught in her own web of lies. Ms. Winkle and Prof. Spark make a deal with Polly, she can take the quiz over again. However, Ms. Winkle will not use the same questions, because she already took that quiz. The quiz she'll take now is on Latin, which Polly dosen't think is fair. Polly's last words are, "You just wait 'till next time, Snotley."
However, if we were to apply the many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics to the model, it works better. First we have to exclude the fact that it takes a day before the world changes, because obviously the user needs time to save the world. According to this theory, when the robots were sent back in time, they created a parallel universe and when each robot is rescued a new universe is created. This will eliminate the short period in which Polly's answers are right.
Under the one-world interpretation, of course, it is still highly doubtful that all of Polly's answers would be correct in the new present after simply simultaneously sending back 25 different robots. Polly sent one robot off to change the "invention of tools" so that people invented tools to fix their television sets. This could prevent Edison's invention of the phonograph, and Polly also changed that. Heck, Polly herself might not even have been born. Of cource, Polly isn't particulay known for her brightness, infact Botley tries to point at the latter saying "you could destroy us all," and Polly refuses to listen.
Not only that, a great deal of Polly's answer involve her because she is extremely self-centered. For example, Polly sent a robot to make it so paper was invented to make spitballs, paper airplanes and "paper Polly dolls." But Polly wasn't even born yet. It must have been quite an event when Polly was born, considering all the historcally events were conected to her. But considering how crazy she would make the world, it's surprising. Also, it has highly doubtful that world aclaimed inventors and discoverors would fall for the robot's stupid tricks, for example, one robot conviced Copernicus that the world revoled around Polly by painted her portrait on a model of the sun! Not to mention that they are, in some cases, historically inaccurate. For example, in the Olympic Games played in ancient Greece, the athletes performed in the nude, but in the game they are depicted with clothing.
Of course, it is highly doubtful that the program's designers thought this far. More likely, they assumed that third graders wouldn't notice the problems, or else they didn't notice them themesleves.
=Jumpstart 4th Grade=
The program is set at Sapphire Fall, where the users attempts to help Sally, T.J. and Gizmo solve a mystery in involving a creature and a stolen treasure map. This mysterious creature has stolen a mysterious treasure map. Sally and T.J. decide to try find out if there really is a monstor and where the mysterious treaure.
Warning: Spoilers Follow
After the door is opened, it is revealed that the "creature" is really someone is costume, but who? There are three suspects:
The user has to help 5th grade detective, Jo Hammet stop him.
The person serving the drinks here is really an undercover reporter named Bernie. Bernie will give Jo Hammet one of the things needed to get to the bomb if the user helps him make drinks for patrons. First the user mixes different juices together. On the second and third levels, the user must also help serve the drinks.
Warning: Spoilers Follow
The game concludes at Boulder Canyon Dam. Earlier Dr. X blew up the pumping station, so the water presure is sky high so that when blows up the dam, that amount of water will destroy the entire city. Jo Hammet then travels to the bomb where the user is suppost click a small switch next Jo, that will move a gate which will diverte the water away from the city. Dr. X(who until this time only appears in silhouette) is finnally seen. Though Jo Hammet saves the city, Dr. X disappears, never to be heard from again.
=Jumpstart 6th Grade=
In this game A.R.T., a computer with artificial intelligence, has gone haywire, and now wants to "redesign the chaotic system that is Earth." Clearly, he must be stopped, and that's what Zack and Jess, twin brother and sister agents of Earthquest, are going to do with the help of their Uncle Eli and dog Roswell.
Subjects
Characters
Botley
AndroidXL2 or "Botley" is he is better known was built by Prof. Spark when he had trouble finding sitters for Polly(she kept scaring them away.) Botley is Prototype Champanion Devise, who is programed to be Polly's friend. Note that Botley respondes to Polly's behavior exactly the way in which it is recomended that children deal with bullies. For example, when Polly calls Botley names, the first couple times Botley tells her clearly that his name is "Botley" and afterwords, he ignores it. Botley seems to be able to let his own conscience overide his programing. For example, it is aganist Botley's programing to reveal the existance of the Time Machine, but he reveals it the user under the circumstances that Polly is about to send the world out of control.Polly
Polly Spark is similar to Angelica Pickles from the Rugrats, both in physical appearence and attitude, perhaps because one of the writers (Doria Biddle) also writes episodes for Rugrats. The game desingers went to every extant to not leave Polly with one redeeming quiatliy. Polly calls Botley names such as, "Snotley," "Potley," or "Dotley." It seems Polly is most concerned with her image and blames other for her short commings. Though Polly atempts to destroy the world in Jumpstart 3rd Grade, she isn't truely evil, more likely to naive to understand the dangers of altering time.Professor Spark
Professor Spark seems to be a world-famous inventor who is way ahead of his time. Prof. Spark has invented a Time Machine, a Shrink-O-Matic and a telescope that can look 300,000 light years away at least and has some way of seeing object there as they are now, rather than 300,000 years ago. Prof. Spark's robots have a great ability to think for themselves, and they seem to serve the professor out of loyalty. This has caused a few problems, but Prof. Sparks handles this by locking rooms such as the Music Hall and the Time Machine Mission Control. Botley seems to be very admiring of Prof. Spark.Floors of Mystery Mountain
The entire game is set in Mystery Mountain. The game is divided into 25 mission(one for each robot) where the user atempts to resscue one the reprogrammed robots. At the start of a mission, the user, selects a question from the TransQuizzer, a futuristic devise Ms. Winkle(possibly named for Rip van Winkle?), Polly's teacher, uses to video tape tests. There are five disks, each with five questions. After the user has used up all five questions on a disk, they are presented with the next disk. The user selects a question by clicking the "play" button. Ms. Winkle reads the question, Polly responds and Ms. Winkle(because Polly has changed history) says she's right. Polly's answer are often humorous.Basement
Jumbo Electro Generator Room
When the electrical power is low in the Mountain, the user must go to the Jumbo Electro Generator to increase the power. In this game, television monitors rise out of a tube with a numbler on it, and mathematical sign(+,-,x or /). The user is presented with group of batteries. The user must place the batteries on the monitors, so that when magnified together they will produce electrity. For example, if the number on a monitor was 7, and it had a "+" sign on top of it, the user could place battiers with 4 and 3 on the monitor. Obviously there is more than one correct answer. The batteries could go dead if they have to pull all the wait for too long.First Floor
The first floor is the first room entered. This room has door leading outside, a staircase to the Second Floor, the door to the Jumbo Electro Generator. And door to an assortment of rooms.Robot Kitchen
In order to enter the kitchen, the user has to solve combination locks using addition, subtraction and multiplication. The Kitchen Door game features 3-digit adition, 2-digit subtraction and 1-digit multiplacation. After solving the three locks, the user has try to feed Mort, whom the other robot call "the bottomless pit"(which is saying something, as we are told all robots love to eat.) Using the Feeding Machine, the user used Metric, Molecular and Standard forms of measurment to make Mort's meal. When Mort has been successfully feed he will award the user of Invention Points/a Mission Clue.Art Gallery
The Art Gallery is the only room with more than one game. The Virtual Collection and the painting gallery.Music Hall
Like with the kitchen, the door to the Music Hall must be unlocked. The door to the Music Hall opens with a password. To discover the password, student rearenge 4 words on the left side of the door. After completing each one, at least one letter from the password will appear on the other side, it that letter(s) will always appear. For example:Second Floor
On the second floor there is a staircase leading back to the First Floor, and a tram that takes the rider to the Third Floor. There are two rooms on the Second Floor.Biosphere
In the Biosphere, Prof. Spark can grow anything he wants from any part of the world. There are five environments in the Bioshere; a desert, a rain forest, a savana, a mountain range and an ocean. To protect the Biosphere from outside contamation, he invented a remote-controlled way of working inside it; tiny little rockets called Explores that can be remotely flown in the Biosphere. However, there is a cavernous maze of airlocks that must be traveled through first.Shrinking Machine Room
The Shrinking Macgine Room is home to devise Prof. Spark calls the a complicated name that Botley can't remember and everyone else calls the Skrink-O-Matic. It can be used to reduce anyone or anything to the size of a medium-large molecule with the help of Egbert, the "resident egghead." Egbert manages all the specimens in the Shrinking Machine Room and is so deeply attachted them he calls them his "lovlies" and his "babies." In the game, Polly has skrunken the Invention Points/Mission Clue and hidden in one of Egbert's specimens. Polly gives the user a hint, and they atempts to find the appropeite specimens. The user uses Egbert's analizer to find out about the specimens. When they think they've found the correct they place it on the ground and click on the microscope, which will shrink Botley. Then they play a game similar to classic game I can't remember the name of, where they bat Botley into the molecules until they brake open a large orange one. If it the correct specimen, they are given the Invention Points/Mission Clue. If not, Botley is returned to his regular size and user must try again.Third Floor
On the Third Floor, the user can take the tram back to the Second Floor, or enter the Time Machine Mission Control, if they have enough Mission Clues and Invention Points.Observatory
The Observatory is where Prof. Spark proforms all his top secret astrolnomical experiments, which are way ahead of his time. Polly said tells the user and Botley they can get their Inventions Points/Mission Clue here but "it's not exactly in this room. Infact, it's not even in the Solar System..." because Polly put on of her father's rockets and launched into deep space. Polly has decided to give the user a hint because she is such "nice girl," but the hint is on a series of radio transmissions that have been launched into a black hole.Robot Maze
According to Botley, the Robot Obstical Cource is the most dangerous part of the Mountain. Prof. Spark has taken advantage of the tretchrous paths to test out new robots, and to work bugs out of a robot. Botley compares it to a robot boot camp. It is too dangerous for Botley and the user to go down there themselves.Time Machine Mission Control
It is here that the mission finishes. The Time Machine Mission Control can be entered only if the student has enough Invention Points and Mission Clues. Prof. Spark built an obsticle to the Time Machine called the Wheal of Invention where a robot named Monty Moniter quizzes the person(or robot) who is atempting to use the Time Machine. He built it after problems with robots time traveling back in time to taunt the early computer.A Note about Time Travel in this Program
If one were to think of time travel in the traditional manner, we can see a problem. Apparently it takes about twenty-four hours before the world is completely changed forever(from Polly's statement "In another day, the world will see the dawning of Polly's Planet.") So if we were to imagine the change coming through time, when the robot responsible is rescued, the change dosen't disappear, it just stops at its source. The result would be that there would be a short period in which Polly's answers were correct.Spinoffs
Jumpstart Typing
In this game, the user helps Botley free Coach Qwerty (from QWERTY keyboard) and save the Interplanetary Typing Competition, who has been locked in the Trophy Room, by Polly because he didn't like her "Untapped Typing Talent." Botley convinces Polly to help rescue Coach Qwerty by threatning to tell her father what she did.Subjects
Charactor
Games
The players first chalenge in this game is to unlock a secret passage, by placing gems in it. There are three activities that can be used to collect gems.
The user than collects clues in two games. Once there are three clues, the user chases down the villain and his/her idenity is revealed. The villian idenity varies each time.Platform Problems
Before an tunnel can be entered, the lights must be tunred on. The user uses the arrow keys to move Sally to the correct answer to a math problem. If the answer is incorrect, the user must help Sally must dodge a "static ball." Once this game is completed, the user can enter the tunnel at his/her lesiure, without having to replay this activiy, unless the light go out, which happens about three times in the game.Laser Letters
Map Madness
Tablet Turnover
Clue Climber
Wacky Words
Crystal Keys
Race Chase
Costume Capers
Note: This is the second version of this game, the original featured a haunted island.
=Jumpstart 5th Grade=
The game is set in the fictional city of Hooverville. There the evil Dr. X is planing to destroy factories and power plants to get revenge on them for cutting his research funding.Subjects
Charactors
Cource of a Mission
Jumpstart 5th Grade is set up as a series of mission like most Jumpstart products, but there are a lot fewer missions then in most Jumpstart products(only 6) and rather then playing a separt character, they play a character in the game. In each mission, the games are played in a certain order. Each mission starts with the Hooverville Museum of Art and Geography.The Hooverville Museum of Art and Geography
When Jo Hammet was on a field trip with her class, she literally bumped into someone here and he was carried away by a bunch of thugs. However, he left a mysterious pair of glasses behind. Later a talking rat named B. F. Skinny(after B. F. Skinner) shows up with a crossword. The user helps Jo Hammet crack the secret code in this puzzle. The Hooverville Museum of Art and Geography may be named after the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI))Fist Visit to the Sabotaged Site
It turns out the crossword reveals the address of a place that has been sabotaged. Naturally, the door is locked. The user must solve a math puzzle in order to open it. On the first mission, Martin(the person kidnapped by thugs in the art musuem) is chained here. He explains that the glasses can be used to read the minds of the thugs. The user than plays a grammar game where they find the correct word to go into the thugs dialoge. Their thoughts reveal the way to get to the bomb.Searching for Items
It turns out that Jo Hammet needs three items in order to get the bomb. She must visit three different places in town to get them.The Squishy Juice Bar
The Junkyard
Jimmy is the recluse that runs the junkyard. The game in the junkyard game is a tangrams game. The junk must be moved and rotated until it matches the diagram.Boulder Canyon Mine Shaft
The Boulder Canyon Mine Shaft was closed by the Park Service due to falling rocks. Maggie Mead hasn't any visitors but Jo Hammet since than. Maggie Mead needs three items retrieved from the mine shaft. The father down the user goes the older the objects. Maggie needs one object from each layer. The lowest layer has dinosaur bones and such. The middle layer has Native American artifacts. The highest layer has artifacts from early America.Second Vistit to the Sabotaged Site
Upon the second visit to sabotaged site, Jo Hammet uses the items to get to the bomb without getting hurt. To disable to bomb, the user must play a decimal game where they attempt to make the number in one box equal to the number in the target box using a little android. Naturally there are some defence androids who try to stop the user. After this, Jo Hammet returns to the museum and gets a new crossword for B.F. Skinny, and the next mission begins.The Conclusion
A Note about Names in this Program
It is likely that Hooverville was inspired by Boulder City and Hoover Dam. When the names are switched, "Boulder City" becomes "Hooverville" and "Hoover Dam" becomes "Boulder Canyon Dam." Also note there is character named Maggie Mead, after Lake Mead.Subjects
Charactors
Games
To save the world and complete the game, the user must go on missions by choosing one from the Mission Locator Map. At the start of each mission, the user must choose either Zack or Jess to be their partner. There are six different game types. After one type of game is completed, then they user captures one of A.R.T.'s robots and take them to the Robot Re-Organizer. Once all the robots are captured and reoraganized, then the game is completed. After a type of game is completed, the user may countinue to play that type of game, though it will not bring them closer to the end. Each type of game has three places in the world where to may be played.Hyper Space
After the user chooses a mission, the character they pick takes off in a pod. These pods are designed for mazimum securuty. In order to land, the student must discover the pod's landing code. The game where this is done is virtually identical to the Music Hall Door game in Jumpstart 3rd Grade. The diffenence is that instead of reorganizing letters for the first words, they pick the correct word or phrase from three choices.Pollution Solution
A.R.T.'s robots have sabotged a factory. The user must stop the noxious posions from being released into the environment. There is a math problem that appears at the top the screen and four answers. Obviously, the user must select the correct answer. The three places in the world this game may be played are Alaska, the Ukraine and Indonesia.Mine Games
A.R.T. is planting mines in the ocean. The user must diactivate the bomb by finding the correct answer to a problem at the top of the screen. The question may either be an English language or Geography question. The three places in the world where this game may be played are the Great Barrier Reef, the Bering Sea and the Caribbean Sea.Viral Vanguard
A.R.T. is killing endangered species with Viro-Bots. The pod has been shrunken to the size of a cell. The user uses the arrow keys to drive the cell pod through the animal while avoiding Viro-Bots. There will be a science question at the top of the screen and the user must select the correct answer to countinue traveling through the animal. At the end the move the pod over the Viro-Bots(they make the disappear this time instead of damaging the pod) and leave the animal. The animal traveled through varies depending on the place in the world the game is played. In India it is a tiger, in Australia it is a wombat and in California it is a condor.Insect Overthrow
A.R.T. is placing locks around trees to stop them from growing. The user must of the pod around on the tree rings. A math problem appears at the top and the user must find the answer and drag it to the center. Naturally, there are robot bugs and sap to avoid. This game is played in Germany, Japan and Appalachia.Canopy Crusade
A robot of A.R.T.'s that resembles a bulldozer is destroying the rainforest. There will be a science question at the top of the screen and the student must move the helicopter pod around and select the bag with the corusponding answer and drop it in the area where the bulldozer is at work. After answering five questions, the user plays a tic-tac-toe game. The places in the world where this game may be played are Gabon, Guyana and Hawaii.Monument Mischief
A.R.T.'s robots are now destroying the world land marks. The user must move the pogo-pod around the monument. On the left side of the screen there is a passage about ancient history with blanks in it. When the pogo-pod lands on a particular brick, it will light up with color that matches the color of one of the blanks in the passage and it will fill a word. If the user thinks it's the right word they would select it. When all the blanks are filled in, the user returns the pogo-pod to the top of the screen. Naturally, the user must avoid scropio-bots while on the monument. The background varies depending on the country where the game is played. The countries are Egypt, Greece and China.Robot Re-Organize
After one of A.R.T.'s robots is captured, it is taken to the Robot Re-Organizer. To make sense of the information from the robot, they user must match the first and second part of idoms. For each one, they are given a coordinate.Space Scan
The student is then asked to plot the coordinate points from the Robot Re-Organizer activity on a grid. The points correspond to where A.R.T. was when he made his last transmission (this is impossible, considering the grid is in two dimensions, and since A.R.T. is in space, it would have to be three). Once the four points are plotted, the area is scaned for signs of A.R.T. A.R.T. won't be found until the last robot is captured.