BasketMath V3+ is an interactive game to make math skill practice fun. The game requires a Windows platform capable of running Flash movies, and it runs off a CDROM reader 8x or better. It is not Windows 7 compatible, though. Unlike many other games, this game is not installed on the computer. When the disk is inserted, you type in your name and then start playing.

There is a list of 20 skills covered in each game. For each type of question, a random problem will be given. The problems are all set up, and the computer randomly generates numbers. So, for example, if a word problem says "Jane has 8 apples and Paul has 3. How many do they have all together?" the next time that problem type is encountered, it will say "Jane has 10 apples and Paul has 8. How many do they have all together?" If a correct answer is typed in, it will show the word correct. Then you click the basketball to see an animation of a completed shot. If you attempt to shoot after getting the answer wrong, the player will miss and the other team will score. The student will get one problem from each problem type in each category, one right after the other, and then the game ends. The final summary list will show pass or fail based on whether each problem was correct or incorrect. The list can be copied and pasted into a document to save. Occasionally, the game will give tips if the problem is answered incorrectly, but not always. The correct answer is shown briefly before the animations of a bad shot are played. The results tab shows whether you pass or fail that area based on your answers. You can also select a certain area to go back and try more problem types. (It will give you one problem and then take you back to the selection screen.)

The back of the packaging says ages 7 and up, but then it says grades 5-10. The topics covered are so varied that I believe this is best suited for a child who has completed elementary math. My son, who is advanced in math, just completed elementary math in his program and is starting pre-algebra, and he is just now capable of solving all except one type of problem presented in this software. It is too cumbersome to do one problem, return to the main menu, select the same type again, and repeat. Furthermore, if you are doing this, the child doesn't get to have the animated basketball stars complete various shots or fail to complete them by falling on their faces or sending out air-balls.

BasketMath is a cute idea, and I think it has great potential; however, right now I think it is still a little too simplistic. It would be wonderful if a person could select several types of problems and have them presented in random order to the player. This would eliminate the issue of a younger child getting problems with negative numbers or other concepts that are too advanced. This would make the game truly available to those 7 and up. Also, sometimes the enter button works, but other times the player has to click with the mouse. If I am playing a game with a keyboard, I get frustrated having to type, then click, then type, then click. For as simple as the math portion of the game is, the animation is pretty good. I am not sure I would buy this software at its current list price, but if Science Academy Software improved the interface and allowed selection of types of problem rather than sending one of each type in succession until all 20 types are completed, I probably would add this to my homeschool routine.