This game is about as much fun as playing with a calculator.
THE GOOD
-You can learn basic math
THE BAD
-Game does not make math fun to learn
-Boring gameplay
-Terrible presentation
-Frustrating controls
OVERVIEW
Donkey Kong Jr. Math is a very poor excuse for an educational game. This game can teach you the basic math skills (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) but you could do the same on a calculator with the same amount of excitement. In this game Donkey Kong Jr. is the playable character as you try and solve basic math problems. You can play by yourself or with a friend but the whole game can be played in a little under a half hour with no replay value.
GAMEPLAY
There are three different modes that you can play. These modes are Calculate A, Calculate B and Exercise. In Calculate A, two players compete against each other to add, subtract, multiply or divide numbers (hanging on vines) to reach the goal number that Donkey Kong shows. For example, if Donkey Kong holds up the number 81 then one possible solution is to find two number 9s and a multiplication sign to win. All the signs are at the bottom of the screen on islands and the numbers are scattered on the vines above. Calculate B works pretty much the same but instead of starting at zero, like in Calculate A, you start at a random number. The last mode is the exercise mode. In this single player mode you first get the choice to pick what type of problem you want to see like addition, subtraction, multiplication or division. Once you choose the type of problem you then have to solve a random problem just like in math class. Sounds like fun huh…
The controls for the game are very simple. You can move and jump. Unfortunately, the level design proves that the controls are very frustrating. By climbing on the vines it is easy to make a mistake and touch the wrong number or sign.
GRAPHICS & SOUND
The visuals are not good at all.
The mute button is your best option here as far as the sound goes.
CONCLUSION
DK Jr. Math is a game that is not fun to play at all. You can use it to learn math but there are plenty of better options out there. With the game being way too short, boring and not fun, I wouldn't recommend this game to anybody. This game is pretty much a glorified calculator.