GAMES ROOM - For most of us, there has been a time when we had to stay up all
night studying for a horrible math test the next day either that we didn't want
to take or weren't good at. Even if you enjoy math, you have probably fallen
asleep once or twice studying. Just think of all the nightmares you had of math
problems gone wrong like 9*9=48 and 2+2=5. Now add some Babaas and presto! you've
got a new game called Maths
Nightmare. For some of us it is truly a nightmare to play, but hopefully
I can give you some hints so that you can turn that nightmare into a beautiful
dream.
In the game, your object is to keep a white Aisha named Imiya from failing
a math test tomorrow because she fell asleep while studying for it and is now
having horrible math nightmares. You must complete the math problems before
the Babaas reach the bottom of the board in order to keep them jumping the fences
and her sleeping soundly. Watch out for those mutant Babaas! They have much
more difficult problems for you to solve. There are five levels of difficulty
that you can choose to play. The first four levels have addition, subtraction,
multiplication, and division problems, in that order, and the fifth round is
a random mix of all four. To send your answers to each problem hit the enter
key when you think you are correct. This may all seem very simple, but it becomes
a different story once you actually begin to play.
In an attempt to fully understand the many reactions to this game I asked
some people who had played the game what they thought of it. As you might expect,
the responses were as mixed as one person's response that she loved it and wanted
to play it much more to someone who will go unnamed attempting to eat the poor
little Babaas for dinner. Well, as I left her NeoHome and saw the NOPE donkey
rushing to the scene, I decided that it would be a better idea to play the game
myself and see what I thought of it. As one of my friends said, the game really
forces you to think on your feet, and can be very stressful to play if you don't
like math that much. However, I think if you follow some tips I have discovered
while playing the game maybe it won't be so difficult for everyone to get that
shiny new Maths Nightmare trophy everyone will be lusting after. Here they are
in no particular order:
1. Play the lower rounds for a while each until you get comfortable
with some of the problems that occur frequently in the game. Then start playing
on the fifth level. This will help you memorise some of the more commonly used
problems so you can answer them more quickly.
2. Use a manual calculator. I do not advise using the one
that is one your computer because changing in and out of the windows will cost
you time that you need to save.
3. If you are unable to maximise the window you are playing in then
open the window and make the bottom bar on your screen as small as possible.
Then put the top of your window so it is halfway off the screen on top. That
should allow you to just barely see the whole game.
4. Use your right hand to go back and forth from the mouse to the
keypad on the higher levels when you have less time to enter the solutions.
Then use your left hand only to work the manual calculator. This may require
some practice at first, but it will save you a great deal of time in the end.
5. Do all the problems with normal Babaas first, and then do the
problems with the mutant Babaas on them. However, if you practice a lot, you
can get to where you will be putting in an answer on an easy problem and typing
in the more difficult problem on the calculator at the same time.
6. At the beginning of the level, make sure you click on a Babaa
before the problem automatically comes onto the screen. This will also save
you time.
I hope these tips help you enjoy the game Maths Nightmare more, and maybe
you will even get one of the sought after trophies. Most of all, though, I hope
you all have fun playing this new game because that is what Neopets is all about! | 
