Jumpstart 4th-6th Grade
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This article is about Jumpstart 4th Grade, Jumpstart 5th Grade and Jumpstart 6th Grade. For information on other Jumpstart products, see Jumpstart and Jumpstart 3rd Grade.
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Jumpstart 4th Grade
The program is set at Sapphire Falls, where the users attempts to help Sally, T.J. and Gizmo solve a mystery in involving a creature and a stolen treasure map. This mysterious creature has stolen a mysterious treasure map. Sally and T.J. decide to try find out if there really is a monster and where the mysterious treasure.
Subjects
- Math
- Spelling
- Science
- Geography
- History
- Synonyms and Antonyms
- Grammar
- Music
Characters
Games
The player's first challenge in this game is to unlock a secret passage, by placing gems in it. There are three activities that can be used to collect gems.
After the door is opened, it is revealed that the "creature" is really someone in costume, but whom? There are three suspects:
- Samual Branon Jr.
- Occupation: Mayor of Sapphire Falls
- Motive for Stealing Treasure: Wants to the president of the United States, the treasure of Sapphire Falls could be used to fund his campaign
- Jilian Godszolus
- Occupation: Geologist
- Motive for Stealing Treasure: A real adventurer, wants to keep tourists and miners away from the mine
- Jed Mason
- Occupation: Former miner
- Motive for Stealing Treasure: Wants to buy the mine
The user then collects clues in two games. Once there are three clues, the user chases down the villain and his/her identity is revealed. The villain's identity varies each time.
Platform Problems
Before an tunnel can be entered, the lights must be turned on. The user uses the arrow keys to move Sally to the correct answer to a math problem. If the answer is incorrect, the user must help Sally must dodge a "static ball." Once this game is completed, the user can enter the tunnel at his/her leisure, without having to replay this activity, unless the lights go out, which happens about three times in the game.
Laser Letters
- Spelling
Map Madness
- Geography
Tablet Turnover
- History
- Science
Clue Climber
- Synonyms, Antonyms and Homonyms
Wacky Words
- Parts of Speech
Crystal Keys
- Music
Race Chase
- Review
Costume Capers
- Critical Thinking
Note: This is the second version of this game, the original featured a haunted island.
Jumpstart 5th Grade
The game is set in the fictional city of Hooverville. There the evil Dr. X is planning to destroy factories and power plants to get revenge on them for cutting his research funding.
The user has to help 5th grade detective, Jo Hammet (presumably a reference to Dashiell Hammett) stop him.
Subjects
- Art History
- Geography
- Math
- Parts of Speech
- Science
- US History
Characters
Jo Hammett
Jo Hammett is a tomboyish fifth grade girl and the first protagonist ever used in a Jumpstart product, as the current version of Jumpstart 4th Grade was made after this product. Jo seems to love skateboarding and has a rather sarcastic attitude. It is never explained what the name "Jo" stands for.
Dr. X
The mad scientist styling himself "Dr. X" is the game's villain. Once a brilliant scientist in the field of animal behavior, he has recently lost his marbles and decided to get "revenge" on his former sponsors.
Course of a Mission
Jumpstart 5th Grade is set up as a series of missions like most Jumpstart products, but there are a lot fewer missions then in most Jumpstart products (only 6) and rather then playing a separate character, they play a character in the game. In each mission, the games are played in a certain order. Each mission starts with the Hooverville Museum of Art and Geography.
The Hooverville Museum of Art and Geography
When Jo Hammet was on a field trip with her class, she literally bumped into someone here and he was carried away by a bunch of thugs. However, he left a mysterious pair of glasses behind. Later a talking rat named B. F. Skinny (after B. F. Skinner) shows up with a crossword. The user helps Jo Hammet crack the secret code in this puzzle. The Hooverville Museum of Art and Geography may be named after the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI)
First Visit to the Sabotaged Site
It turns out the crossword reveals the address of a place that has been sabotaged. Naturally, the door is locked. The user must solve a math puzzle in order to open it. On the first mission, Martin (the person kidnapped by thugs in the art museum) is chained here. He explains that the glasses can be used to read the minds of the thugs. The user than plays a grammar game where they find the correct word to go into the thugs dialog. Their thoughts reveal the way to get to the bomb.
Searching for Items
It turns out that Jo Hammet needs three items in order to get the bomb. She must visit three different places in town to get them.
The Squishy Juice Bar
The person serving the drinks here is really an undercover reporter named Bernie. Bernie will give Jo Hammet one of the things needed to get to the bomb if the user helps him make drinks for patrons. First the user mixes different juices together. On the second and third levels, the user must also help serve the drinks.
The Junkyard
Jimmy is the recluse that runs the junkyard. The game in the junkyard game is a tangrams game. The junk must be moved and rotated until it matches the diagram.
Boulder Canyon Mine Shaft
The Boulder Canyon Mine Shaft was closed by the Park Service due to falling rocks. Maggie Mead hasn't any visitors but Jo Hammet since than. Maggie Mead needs three items retrieved from the mineshaft. The further down the user goes the older the objects. Maggie needs one object from each layer. The lowest layer has dinosaur bones and such. The middle layer has Native American artifacts. The highest layer has artifacts from early America.
Second Visit to the Sabotaged Site
Upon the second visit to sabotaged site, Jo Hammet uses the items to get to the bomb without getting hurt. To disable to bomb, the user must play a decimal game where they attempt to make the number in one box equal to the number in the target box using a little android. Naturally there are some defense androids that try to stop the user. After this, Jo Hammet returns to the museum and gets a new crossword for B.F. Skinny, and the next mission begins.
The Conclusion
The game concludes at Boulder Canyon Dam. Earlier Dr. X blew up the pumping station, so the water pressure is sky high so that when he blows up the dam, that amount of water will destroy the entire city. Jo Hammet then travels to the bomb where the user is supposed to click a small switch near Jo, that will move a gate which will divert the water away from the city. Dr. X (who until this time only appears in silhouette) is finally seen. Though Jo Hammet saves the city, Dr. X disappears, never to be heard from again.
A Note about Names in this Program
It is likely that Hooverville was inspired by Boulder City and Hoover Dam. When the names are switched, "Boulder City" becomes "Hooverville" and "Hoover Dam" becomes "Boulder Canyon Dam." Also note there is character named Maggie Mead, after Lake Mead.
Jumpstart 6th Grade
In this game A.R.T., a computer with artificial intelligence, has gone haywire, and now wants to "redesign the chaotic system that is Earth." Clearly, he must be stopped, and that's what Zack and Jess, twin brother and sister agents of Earthquest, are going to do with the help of their Uncle Eli and dog Roswell.
Subjects
- Math
- Ancient History
- Language Arts
- Geography
- Art History
- Science
Characters
Games
To save the world and complete the game, the user must go on missions by choosing one from the Mission Locator Map. At the start of each mission, the user must choose either Zack or Jess to be their partner. There are six different game types. After one type of game is completed, the user captures one of A.R.T.'s robots and take them to the Robot Re-Organizer. Once all the robots are captured and reorganized, then the game is completed. After a type of game is completed, the user may continue to play that type of game, though it will not bring them closer to the end. Each type of game has three places in the world where they may be played.
Hyper Space
After the user chooses a mission, the character they pick takes off in a pod. These pods are designed for maximum security. In order to land, the student must discover the pod's landing code. The game where this is done is virtually identical to the Music Hall Door game in Jumpstart 3rd Grade. The difference is that instead of reorganizing letters for the first words, they pick the correct word or phrase from three choices.
Pollution Solution
A.R.T.'s robots have sabotaged a factory. The user must stop the noxious poisons from being released into the environment. There is a math problem that appears at the top the screen and four answers. Obviously, the user must select the correct answer. The three places in the world this game may be played are Alaska, the Ukraine, and Indonesia.
Mine Games
A.R.T. is planting mines in the ocean. The user must deactivate the bomb by finding the correct answer to a problem at the top of the screen. The question may either be an English language or Geography question. The three places in the world where this game may be played are the Great Barrier Reef, the Bering Sea, and the Caribbean Sea.
Viral Vanguard
A.R.T. is killing endangered species with Viro-Bots. The pod has been shrunken to the size of a cell. The user uses the arrow keys to drive the cell pod through the animal while avoiding Viro-Bots. There will be a science question at the top of the screen and the user must select the correct answer to continue traveling through the animal. At the end they move the pod over the Viro-Bots (they make the disappear this time, instead of damaging the pod) and leave the animal. The animal traveled through varies depending on the place in the world the game is played. In India it is a tiger, in Australia it is a wombat, and in California it is a condor.
Insect Overthrow
A.R.T. is placing locks around trees to stop them from growing. The user must of the pod around on the tree rings. A math problem appears at the top and the user must find the answer and drag it to the center. Naturally, there are robot bugs and sap to avoid. This game is played in Germany, Japan, and Appalachia.
Canopy Crusade
A robot of A.R.T.'s that resembles a bulldozer is destroying the rainforest. There will be a science question at the top of the screen and the student must move the helicopter pod around and select the bag with the corresponding answer and drop it in the area where the bulldozer is at work. After answering five questions, the user plays a tic-tac-toe game. The places in the world where this game may be played are Gabon, Guyana, and Hawaii.
Monument Mischief
A.R.T.'s robots are now destroying the world landmarks. The user must move the pogo-pod around the monument. On the left side of the screen there is a passage about ancient history with blanks in it. When the pogo-pod lands on a particular brick, it will light up with color that matches the color of one of the blanks in the passage and it will fill a word. If the user thinks it's the right word they would select it. When all the blanks are filled in, the user returns the pogo-pod to the top of the screen. Naturally, the user must avoid scorpio-bots while on the monument. The background varies depending on the country where the game is played. The countries are Egypt, Greece, and China.
Robot Re-Organize
After one of A.R.T.'s robots is captured, it is taken to the Robot Re-Organizer. To make sense of the information from the robot, they user must match the first and second part of idioms. For each one, they are given a coordinate.
Space Scan
The student is then asked to plot the coordinate points from the Robot Re-Organizer activity on a grid. The points correspond to where A.R.T. was when he made his last transmission (this is impossible, considering the grid is in two dimensions, and since A.R.T. is in space, it would have to be three). Once the four points are plotted, the area is scanned for signs of A.R.T. A.R.T. won't be found until the last robot is captured.