Magic Maths
An Amstrad CPC arithmetic game using animated graphics and speech to help children practise simple maths.
Image credits and source
Original cover / promotional artwork
Credit: Players — artwork belongs to its respective rights holders
Source: The Oliver Twins archive
Game at a glance
- Status
- Classic
- Released
- 1986
- Platforms
- Amstrad CPC
- Genres
- Educational
- Developer
- The Oliver Twins (original development)
- Publisher
- Players
Development and publication
Development: The Oliver Twins (original development). Publication: Players.
The named development credit refers to the original or specifically identified version. Other ports and later re-releases may have different development teams.
Making the game
Having developed Panda Sprites we wanted to produce a BASIC game using the Sprite system as a test case. Around the same time, October ’85, we came up with the idea of recording and playing back speech to make the computer talk. Having developed the system this also needed a test case. Our niece had a Speak and Spell electronic toy and that inspired us to produce Magic Maths.
The premise was very simple, the game asked players to solve simple maths questions with full speech.
It was quite quick to write, probably taking around two weeks alongside schoolwork and was published on Interceptor Software’s new Budget label Players at £1.99. They paid us £250 too, which we felt fair.