Adventure Math (DOS)

Adventure Math

Platform: DOS Year: 1992 Developer: Epic MegaGames Online: Download

Adventure Math is Epic Games' only foray in education.

First, you choose addition or subtraction, and a level which determines the maximum number (9 to 99). Then, on every problem, the first- to fifth-grader in you is shown the first and last number and has to type the middle number.

After 11 wrong answers, it's game over. After 11 correct answers, you can print a report card with your name, date, time, and play a bonus game where you shoot your answer while weird enemies bounce to and fro. That game ends after 25 answers (correct or not) or when your energy drops below zero.

The graphics and audio were up to par, the programming (in Microsoft QuickBASIC 4.5) not so much: The bonus game has sluggish, non-arcade-like controls and is unplayable on fast computers (over 3000 cycles in DOSBox 0.74).

The sequel, Adventure Math Deluxe (DOS), adds a few more features and audio.

Screenshots

Intro. Main menu with dragon. I can do it! "Correct!" C'mon, just typos! Eeehh...?!

Music

Depending on your audio setup, Adventure Math has different soundtracks, and oddly for different purposes.

1. If you leave the Adlib Card on, you will hear five moody songs. Epic's first musician, Dan Froelich, arranged them using a mouse in Visual Composer, and somebody optimized them using ROL2MIDI (an early version).
   • If you leave Sound Blaster on, you will hear a jingle (Whistle), a narrator, and five sound effects, all in 8-bit PCM and mostly at 12048 Hz. In 10% of the wrong answers, the narrator shouts rather than speaks. This is purely random and means nothing, although it has baffled kids. In the bonus game, sound effects cut each other off.
2. If both are off and you leave Sound on, you will hear jingles (most if not all public domain) and sound effects on the PC Speaker. They are arranged in QuickBASIC's PLAY and SOUND commands and intermixed with Avery Pack's game code. Most jingles suffer bugs as detailed on their respective pages below.

Recording

All songs were recorded from the game on a Pentium 60 MHz with:

1. a Sound Blaster 16 CT1740 plugged in. The looping songs were played once or twice (depending on their length) plus 10 seconds.
2. a microphone standing in front of its PC speaker. The unused songs were played by modifying AMATH.EXE.

The VGMPF currently titles these songs after their filenames or usage.

#	Title	Composer	Length	Listen	Download
101	Opener	Dan Froelich	0:08		Download
102	Adventure Math Menu	Dan Froelich	2:22		Download
103	Play	Dan Froelich	3:50		Download
106	Whistle	Dan Froelich	0:00		Download
107	Knight	Dan Froelich	1:57		Download
108	HHJJ	Dan Froelich	2:10		Download

#	Title	Composer	Arranger	Length	Listen	Download
201	Opener	Unknown	Unknown	0:04		Download
202	Adventure Math Menu	Unknown	Unknown	0:01		Download
204	10th Correct	Traditional	Unknown	0:02		Download
205	Ending	Daniel Butterfield	Unknown	0:10		Download
209	Unused 1	Traditional	Unknown	0:12		Download
210	Unused 2	Henry Work	Unknown	0:18		Download

Credits

• Ripper: Professor Chaos
• Recorder: Professor Chaos
• Game Credits:
  • Music by (Intro, Exit): Dan Froelich
  • Music & Sound Effects (Help!): Dan Froelich
  • SBVOC.ASM 09-Oct-1991 (C)1991: Cornel Huth
  • FMMUSIC.ASM 09-Oct-1991 (C)1991: Cornel Huth
  • Not Credited Composer: Unknown
  • Not Credited Composer: Traditional
  • Not Credited Composer: Daniel Butterfield
  • Not Credited Composer: Henry Work
  • Not Credited Arranger (PC Speaker): Unknown
  • Not Credited Foley Artist (PC Speaker): Unknown
  • Not Credited Voice Actor: Dan Froelich
  • Not Credited Programmer (PC Speaker): Microsoft

(Sources for music: 2nd Intro page, Help!, Exit. Source for Huth: AMATH.EXE. Source for voice: newsletter. Source for Microsoft: code comparison.)

Game Rip

Format	Download
	Download (Info)

Audio Devices

Music
Sound

Unless you enter /NOSB or /NOADLIB, the game searches for an OPL at port 388_hex, and a Sound Blaster at ports 210_hex, 220_hex, 230_hex, 240_hex, 250_hex, 260_hex, DMA 1, and IRQ 2, 3, 5 or 7.

On the setup, you can turn everything off, but not on again.

If you leave any card on, all PC Speaker audio is turned off without notice.

(Source: program start.)

Releases

USA Title: Adventure Math Platform: DOS Released: 1992-??-?? Publisher: Epic MegaGames

Links

• mobygames.com/game/75358/adventure-math/ - MobyGames.
• gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pc/218899-adventure-math - GameFAQs.

View Adventure Math
Adventure Math
Adventure Math Deluxe
Notable Personnel	Dan Froelich
Notable Companies	Epic Games