Those darned Troggles!
Troggle Trouble Math is a pretty decent little edutainment title that stands alongside Freddi Fish and the Cluefinders games as a fine example of the genre. This one is aimed firmly at younger gamers and as the name suggests is focused on teaching them all about the joys of math but in a way that doesn't seem too much like learning. There's a bit of a complicated setup to this one, which finds the Muncher being kidnapped by Trog, who is a robot under the control of the evil Dr. Frankentoggle. When a plucky young scientist finds out about this, she sends in you, plus her brave little dog, Sparky, to solve the mystery and rescue the Muncher. This translates into a mix of gameplay styles, including simple arcade exploration where you control Sparky looking for treats but which are interspersed with the meat of the game, which is a collection of maths problems presented in a fun but challenging fashion. The whole thing is presented in appealing fashion, with some well crafted visuals, including bright, colorful environments and charming character work, and which really help to give the game a lot of interest to its target market. The main gameplay is well presented also, with a nice mix of elements to play through and which should help maintain interest for some time. The math problems are quite entertaining to solve and are genuinely useful in the real world, while also scoring points for not being patronizing. When you throw in the simple to use interface and pleasing sound, you're left with a real winner.
