The game begins with an opening song.  Genie pops up next with his famous comical flair.  He uses humor to instruct students on how to play the game, including using the mouse and each icon.  He gives ample time for the player to process each instruction.
     The next few scenes set the stage for the actual quest that the player will involve himself/herself in throughout the entire game.  When the actual quest begins, the player is a dungeon with Genie and Iago (the mouthy parrot).  Abu, Jasmine, and Aladdin have been taken to various parts of the city, and the player’s job is to rescue each one by winning different types of math games.  The player chooses which direction to go at various points of the game.  For example, in the dungeon, the player can go left to sort bugs at a spider’s web or go right to play another type of game.  The player also chooses which road to take in the city market, as well as which games to play or skip.
     The challenges that the player engages in include escaping from the dungeon (uses sorting and computation), trading for Abu in the market (uses equalities), making mosaics to win Jasmine back (symmetry skills), making magic potions (uses logic and mental computation), playing several carnival games (addition, subtraction, geometry) opening passageways (patterns and mental addition), and lots more!
     Game levels can be set by the player (three different levels).  This allows the player to have opportunities for success if the higher levels seem too challenging.  Games can be saved for playing in the future.  I played for two hours and still didn’t finish the whole game.  This was due to the exciting graphics, hysterical comedy, and interesting storyline that kept me engaged.
     I noticed only one weakness.  The sound seemed to cut in and out, which may have been caused by the computer that I was using.  It was only 500 mhz.  I would recommend a faster monitor.  I loved the color, storyline, familiar characters, and the humor.  The music was perfect!  Students would want to play this game for hours.

Instructional Type:

  _ Drill and Practice    X  Tutorial
  _ Simulation                X  Game
  X Problem Solving       X  Tool

     This would be perfect in the classroom because the teacher would not have to hover over the students in order to show them how to play the game.  The characters do that by offering suggestion along the way.  This would be great to use as a center that each student would go to at least two times per week.
     I would definitely give this software a 9 or a 10.  Students would forget they were practicing math skills because this CD-ROM feels more like a game than anything else.  Students get lots of practice with using mental math like addition, subtraction, and logical reasoning.

For Reviews of Math Quest with Aladdin, go to:

http://www.superkids.com/aweb/pages/reviews/math/4/mquest/merge.shtml

http://www.learningwarereviews.com/mathquest.htm