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Blaster Learning System
Genre(s)	Edutainment
Developer(s)	Davidson & Associates JumpStart Blitz Games
Publisher(s)	Davidson & Associates (1983–1998) JumpStart (Knowledge Adventure) (1998–2023)
Creator(s)	Janice G. Davidson, PhD
Platform(s)	Windows, Mac, Apple II, Apple IIGS
First release	Math Blaster! 1983

The Blaster Learning System is an educational video game series created by Davidson & Associates and later published by JumpStart (formerly Knowledge Adventure) after the two companies were acquired and merged by CUC Software. The games primarily focused on mathematics, later expanding into language arts and science, and spawned an animated children’s television series in 1999 called Blaster's Universe.

Starting in 2011, development of the series focused on an online version of Math Blaster played through a browser or mobile app rather than standalone game software. On June 13, 2023, JumpStart Games announced the closure of the company and that they would end support for Math Blaster on June 30, 2023.

History

Davidson

The series began with the 1983 title Math Blaster! released for the Apple II and Atari 8-bit computers. The initial game was ported to other platforms and received gradual improvements to graphics and sound, with "Plus" added to the title in 1987 and "New" in 1990. The initial release was a collection of four unrelated activities with a space theme, with later versions connecting the activities with a simple narrative and introducing the character Blasternaut.

Spin-offs intended for older children included Alge-Blaster! in 1985 and Math Blaster Mystery in 1989. These titles, along with their 1990s remakes and sequels, would not follow the Blasternaut character but would still be marketed by Davidson as part of the Blaster series.

The first reboot of the Davidson fundamentals line came in 1989. The original Math Blaster was written in Applesoft Basic and the Microsoft equivalent. Under the direction of Mike Albanese, the Davidson programming team used Fig Forth to make a cross-platform development system; it was the first of many Forth-based products that Davidson would make.

The 1993 release Math Blaster Episode I: In Search of Spot was the first in the series to feature a storyline told through animated cutscenes and voice acting. The version of Blasternaut seen in this game, as well as his robot companion Spot and supervisor Galactic Commander (GC), would become recurring characters seen in the 1994 sequels Reading Blaster: Invasion of the Word Snatchers and Math Blaster Episode II: Secret of the Lost City.

A redesign of the characters was introduced in the 1996 title Mega Math Blaster (later rebranded Math Blaster: Ages 6–9), which served as a remake of the activities from Episode I with a new storyline, although references to the previous games in the series implied a shared continuity. This redesign would carry over into Reading Blaster 2000 (also rebranded Reading Blaster: Ages 6–9), the Episode II remake Math Blaster: Ages 9–12, and three "Junior" prequels for children ages 4-6 focused on math, reading, and science.

Knowledge Adventure

The characters were redesigned again in 1999, coinciding with the CBS Saturday morning cartoon Blaster's Universe animated by the Canadian studio Nelvana. The Blasternaut and GC characters were altered to be 12-year-old earthlings and Spot was replaced with a robot dog named MEL ("Mechanically Enhanced Lapdog"). The changes also coincided with Knowledge Adventure's rebranding of the full series and switch to identifying games by grade levels instead of age ranges. This would be the last time games in the Reading Blaster sub-series were released.

Math Blaster: Master the Basics was released in 2006, featuring another redesign of the Blasternaut character, comic book styled cutscenes, and 3D graphics in-game. This version of the character would also appear in the 2008 Nintendo DS title Math Blaster in the Prime Adventure.

Starting in 2011, development of the series focused on an online version of Math Blaster played through a browser or mobile app rather than standalone game software. On June 13, 2023, JumpStart Games announced the closure of the company and end of support for Math Blaster on June 30, 2023. The company officially closed July 1, 2023 at 3am EST with servers and their website also shutting down. No reason for the closure was given.

The Blaster series

Math

Reading

Other subjects

Compilations

Other languages

Math:

• Swedish (titled "Matte Raketen")
• Finnish (titled "Matikkaraketti")
• Japanese (titled "算数戦士ブラスター(Sansū Senshi Burasutā)")

Reception

The original game was praised by InfoWorld for its high resolution graphics, and considered it a standout title in the drill-and-practice edutainment video game genre. II Computing listed Math Blaster second on the magazine's list of top Apple II education software as of late 1985, based on sales and market-share data.

New Math Blaster Plus was reviewed in the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Guide Book where it was praised for its "arcade-quality graphics drills snappy and entertaining".

Math Blaster Episode I: In Search of Spot was rated as one of the top 100 CD-ROM games of 1994 in PC Magazine.

Math Blaster Mystery: The Great Brain Robbery was given a 4 out of 4 star rating by the Home PC magazine adding that "most games aren't educational AND fun, but Math Blaster Mystery is both".

By June 1997, the series sold 5 million copies.

After starting off with a huge boom and providing the base for the establishment of a very successful public corporation, the Blaster series eventually fell victim to marketing cuts. In an attempt to sell both up and down the age group added more, Blasters were designed with increasingly thin, fuzzy and overlapping target age groups. Finally, the line came under fierce attack from the Gross brothers of Knowledge Adventure (now JumpStart), led by Barton Listic. Knowledge Adventure countered with a simple grade-based sub-division with their JumpStart logo. Eventually, Knowledge Adventure and Davidson were acquired by CUC International to form CUC Software, and the company lines were merged.

References

1. "Cool Math Games for Kids - Online Math Games – Math Blaster". 30 September 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-09-30. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
2. "Adaptive Curriculum Games for Kids - Activities & Worksheets - JumpStart". www.jumpstart.com. Retrieved 2023-06-15.
3. "Cool Math Games for Kids - Online Math Games – Math Blaster". 30 September 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-09-30. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
4. "Adaptive Curriculum Games for Kids - Activities & Worksheets - JumpStart". www.jumpstart.com. Retrieved 2023-06-15.
5. Oppenheim, Joanne and Stephanie (1993). "Computer Software/CD-ROM – Drill and Review Software: 'New Math Blaster Plus'". The Best Toys, Books & Videos for Kids. Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Guide Book. Vol. 1 (1st ed.). New York: Harper Perennial. p. 275. ISBN 0-06-273196-3.
6. "Compute! Specific: Apple II". Retrieved December 16, 2016.
7. "Works VTG 1980s Coleco Lil Genius Kids Calculator Math Toy Electronic Game".
8. "GEOMETRY BLASTER". School Library Journal. 43 (8). August 1997. ISSN 0362-8930.
9. "Davidson's next step in math education: Geometry...". Curriculum Administrator. 31 (7). March 1997. ISSN 1082-5495.
11. "ST Report: Newswire / Tech News / Sun Ripens Java / Jaguar Dazzles Developers / Wired World: The Big Idea / A.T.A.C. & Wargods!". Atari Explorer Online.
12. Willis, Jerry (July 28, 1996). "Technology, reading, and language arts". Boston : Allyn and Bacon – via Internet Archive.
13. "Nintendo Wii Nerf Switch Shot EX-3 Blaster Attachment Only".
15. InfoWorld Media Group (1983-07-11). InfoWorld. InfoWorld Media Group, Inc.
16. Ciraolo, Michael (Oct–Nov 1985). "Top Software / A List of Favorites". II Computing. p. 51. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
17. Oppenheim, Joanne and Stephanie (1993). "Computer Software/CD-ROM - Drill and Review Software: 'New Math Blaster Plus'". The Best Toys, Books & Videos for Kids. Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Guide Book. Vol. 1 (1st ed.). New York: Harper Perennial. p. 275. ISBN 0-06-273196-3.
18. Dave Golder (September 13, 1994). "The Top 100 CD-ROMs". PC Magazine. 13 (15): 166. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
19. "Math Blaster: Mystery back cover". Retrieved December 14, 2016.
20. "Math Blaster Mystery - The Great Brain Robbery". Archived from the original on January 25, 1997. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
21. "Davidson & Associates, Inc launches Educast beta program". Davidson & Associates. June 30, 1997. Archived from the original on January 20, 1998. Retrieved March 27, 2024.

External links

• Math Blaster website

• Children's educational video games
• Video games developed in the United States