Download Super Solvers - Operation Neptune

A crashed space capsule containing vital information from a space expedition is polluting the ocean. Your job is to pilot your submarine through an under sea maze, gather all the pieces of the fallen capsule, and uncover the mystery of the space expedition.

While navigating your submarine you will frequently run amok of sea creatures that appear to be against you for what ever reason. To placate their aggressive advances you have a limited supply of ink pellets that you can shoot at them. A direct hit will stun and hide any sea life for a limited time, allowing you to slip past them and on to your objective. Ink pellets are refilled at the end of every sector when you enter the supply station. You must find and collect all the pieces of the capsule in a sector before you will be allowed entry to the supply station.

Apparently the expedition is severely under funded because the one person they can rely on for mathematical answers (you) also has to navigate the submarine. Consequently, every so often your progress will be interrupted so you can answer math related questions from the floating sea base. Answer incorrectly and you return to your exploration somewhat damaged. These word problems are always themed so as to relate to the game so you never feel like you’re totally taken out of the game. To help you answer the questions you have a calculator that you can input multiple commands into and it will automatically calculate according to order of operation rules (multiplication before addition, that sort of thing).

Aside from random word problems, you will also have to break the code on data canisters that you find to get at the data included. This advances the back-story of the game. You will also have to solve an arithmetic problem to be let into the supply station.

The game has two levels of difficulty which affects the type of word problems the game gives to you and the aggressiveness of the sea creatures attacking you. The beginner, or “explorer,” level of questions are for higher level elementary students, and the harder, or “voyager,” level or questions are better suited for early secondary students.

This game is not a part of the Super Solver series of games. The year this came out, along with visual style and thematic integration has led this game to be included on some lists with the other “Super Solver” games like “Midnight Rescue,” “Treasure MathStorm,” and others, but this game lacks vital elements of that series. However, Operation Neptune is an excellent game and could happily find a home among that collection of games.

Operation Neptune is a math adventure aimed at ages 9-14. This game was remade for Windows CD-Rom in 1995 with enhanced graphics and sound, if you can find it.