Einstein Jr. is one of my oldest memories of the computer. It was fairly fun, and it was also quite informative. It was intended as an educational tool for elementary school classrooms to use to teach students on a variety of subjects ranging from math to social studies.
The game functions are very simple. You install it, open it, and enter your name, and then it will let you play. You can choose from a list of subjects including science and math. Then from a list of subjects that fall under each blanket, like multiplication or division.
When entering text, be sure it is perfectly spelled, because it is a stickler for perfection. (I believe you have to enter the math answers from right to left, at least in multiplication) The science and social studies subjects have many graphics based lessons, often where you choose a picture based on the question. (E.G. “which one is an amphibian?”) The language arts often require you to enter some text using the keyboard, which should be fairly straightforward.
I would recommend this for any elementary school child, as long as you can skip the lessons where graphics don’t display. If anything, this game can be used as extra study time to help them in school, and can often be fun at the same time.
The game even gives you a record of how well you’ve done! That means that you can see where your (or your child’s) weak points are, and thus work to improve it, without the dangers of bad grades or falling behind in the classroom!
Similar games today include the Brain Age and Big Brain Academy series by Nintendo, which, although similar, differ in test methodology, structure, and actual content. Unlike Einstein Jr., the newer games do not teach, they merely test. Einstein Jr. is truly an educational game, with no violence or other inappropriate contents, which allows it to be ONLY a positive influence on a child. I personally enjoyed the game as a child, and I still enjoy replaying and looking at the game today, even when its lessons are completely below my current level. Anyway, here are my overall ratings:
Functionality: 6. It isn’t completely functional any longer, but what works definitely works.
Graphics: 7. The graphics are OK for the time, and they certainly don’t detract from it today.
Sound: 6. I think it’s OK, but I also think it gets annoying after a while.
Fun: 6-7. It can be fun, but it also depends on how a child has been raised, because some won’t even accept it.
