Apps We Love: Marble Math and Marble Math Jr. by Artgig

I haven’t seen an app that makes better use of the tilting function of iPhone and iPad than Marble Math by Artgig Apps. The app turns your device into a maze. The object of the game is to navigate a marble through the maze by tilting your device. And it works great!


You can also set the app to allow you to drag the marble with your finger (my 3 ½-year-old prefers that) but honestly, the real fun is allowing the marble to roll through the maze as you tilt. And that’s the essence of my review: at its core, both Marble Math apps are a lot of fun. It takes skill and patience to navigate your marble and the app lays a few traps, snares, and even bonus gifts in your path.

It’s also a great math app, and each time you play a game, the app prompts you in which order you must roll over different numbers or shapes. For example, in the junior version of the app, the user will be prompted to go from the lowest to highest number; or find all the triangles; or find the numbers that add up to seven. Regular Marble Math makes the math questions more difficult, so users are learning and reinforcing math skills as they play. And if a user makes a mistake, no biggie. The app allows users to replay right away; or the app can simply reveal the correct answer. This really is meaningful play, but it wouldn’t be worth much if it wasn’t a lot of fun (which it is).

Marble Math is recommended for ages 9 to12+ and Marble Math Jr. is appropriate for ages 5 to 8. And all day Friday, June 22nd, Marble Math Jr. is FREE at the iTunes App Store. And like I always say, free is a good price! Grab it. You and your kids will love it.


Review Summary
App Name: Marble Math Jr.
Category: Education
Released: June 12, 2012
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 4.0 or later.
Price: FREE all day June 22, 2012; otherwise $1.99
Bottom Line: A lot of fun; great math support.


App Name: Marble Math
Category: Education
Released: June 7, 2012
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 4.0 or later.
Price: $1.99
Bottom Line: A lot of fun; great math support.