Gadgets, Gizmos, and Rube Goldberg-ian Fun: Mechanical Madness
May 8, 2008
I love Rube Goldberg devices. Why scratch your back when you can spend hours rigging up a complex system of levers, pulleys and aquaphobic dwarfs to scratch it for you? That’s why the folks behind Mechanical Madness are my kind of people.
Like the previously reviewed Launchball, Mechanical Madness lets you harness various machines to transport a sphere from a starting point to a goal. These devices aren’t nearly as sophisticated as those in Launchball, but should still provide a fun challenge for elementary students. One thing Mechanical Madness lacks is levels – only the Easy and Medium levels were working when I tried it. However, even these are good introductions to problem solving for young students.
Mechanical Madness, like Mouse Trap, illustrates that sometimes an efficient solution isn’t as exciting as a complex one. Using complex machinery to transport a baseball from one side of your screen to another may not be practical, but it sure is fun. -BILL FERRIS
Related Stuff:
Learn Science and Kill a Few Hours with Launchball
Solve Your Rodent Problem with Tom’s Trap-o-Matic
