Jump Start Adventures – 4th Grade

Jump Start Adventures - 4th Grade

Copyright 2000, William Walker. Do not sell for a profit or give
me improper credit. E-mail J-D-Walker@worldnet.att.net

Note: These tips are for the old fourth grade (version 1), not
the new one (version 2). 

Note to parents: This game requires a little dexterity to win, so
it may not be a good idea if your child has poor eye-hand
coordination. There is little violence in this game.

Introduction: Okay, the evil substitute teacher Mrs. Grunkle has
turned all your fellow classmates into monsters and locked them
in the attic of her house. Luckily, you were out that day of
class and can rescue them, with the help of a good witch named
Madame Pomreda and a bat named Flap. Okay, click on Madame
Pomreda's cart after Flap explains the situation to you. The
first child appears in her crystal ball. To turn it back into one
of your classmates you must retrieve all four of each kid's most
prized possessions. Click a card and a riddle appears, telling
you to go to one of the challenges. After you decipher the riddle
and complete the challenge you must complete another challenge.
Once you've done two challenges you receive a possession. Okay,
let's belly up on the toolbar. 

Tombstone - Click on this to leave a challenge, or to exit the
game. 
Bat - Click here and Flap will give you some help. 
Hat - Only active in a challenge. Click on it to advance up one
level. Challenges can have 3-6 levels. If you're on the highest
level it sends you back to level one. 
Yearbook - Click to see how you're doing in rescuing each kid.
There's also a progress report in there. 
Crystal ball - Once you get a possession, click here to return to
Pomreda and get another card. 
Scroll - Click here to get around easier. Later are more notes on
the scroll. 
Key - Clicking on this does nothing. It tells you how many keys
you have. You get a key for every 5000 points you earn. You need
25 keys to enter Mrs. Grunkle's house. 

Notes on the scroll: When you click on the scroll you get a map
of the island. Click on the place the card told you to go and
you'll go there. If you get there on the path you'll receive 50
points, but you can easily get lost and there's a ghost who's a
real pain in the neck. Okay, now we'll go through all the
challenges. 

ENCHANTED FOREST 

Curriculum: Decimals & Fractions 
To complete: Mix three potions
Levels: 5

In the enchanted forest is a prince who's been turned into a frog
by Mrs. Grunkle's potion. Look at the spell book to see how much
you need in each cauldron. Then, click on one of the droppers to
pick it up. Each dropper has a decimal amount on it telling how
much liquid It will hold. Now, click on the beaker of liquid that
is highlighted. Once the dropper is filled with liquid, click on
the correct cauldron. Keep doing this until it is filled with the
right amount of liquid. Now click the arrow to highlight a
different beaker. Once the amount in each cauldron matches what
it says in the spell book, click the bellows. Any incorrect
cauldrons will be reset. If all the cauldrons are correct you'll
move on to another potion to mix. The frog turns back into a
prince after three potions. But you have to do this fast. In one
cauldron is a thermometer. It fills up with time. If it is
completely filled the cauldrons boil over and reset. On the
higher levels the droppers are trickier. Also, on levels four and
five the amount shown on the cauldron is in the form of a
fraction. 

CEMETERY 

Curriculum: Parts of speech
To complete: Save three souls
Levels: 5

In the cemetery are tombstones. Some of them need an inscription.
An inscription is on the tombstone, with some words missing. In
the place of each missing word is a part of speech. The first one
is highlighted. Words appear and disappear on either side of the
tombstone. When you see one that matches the highlighted part of
speech, click it. If you're correct, the word appears on the
tombstone. Choosing a wrong word costs time. Time is of the
essence here, as in the upper left corner the grim reaper is
surrounded by skulls. Every so often he destroys a skull. If he
destroys them all you must start over. If you fill every space
with a word the soul in the grave reads it to you. Then he
appears and congratulates you and you move on to another soul.
Because you can have any word in a place the message is not
unlike a mad lib. On higher levels the words go faster. Also on
levels 3-5 you don't see the whole inscription. You just see one
part of speech at a time and only see the inscription after it's
complete. 

MUMMY TOMB

Curriculum: World history
To complete: Uncover three mummies
Levels: 5

Inside the mummy tomb are tablets in a pile. each tablet has a
historical figure, event or picture on it. There are four tablets
relating to each thing. Click on a tablet to activate it. Then
click another one and the pair disappears if it matches. To find
out more about a tablet click on the magnifying glass at the top,
then click the tablet you want to research. You can only select a
tablet if no tablets are on top of it. Also, the tablet must have
two adjoining sides open. If you match the wrong tablets and
reach a point where none of the available tablets match, you must
start over. When all the tablets are gone you uncover a mummy and
move on to another one. The history is more challenging on higher
levels.

VAMPIRE MAZE

Curriculum: Division
To complete: Lay three vampires to rest
Levels: 3

In this challenge you play as a vampire. Use the arrow keys to
move him around. Soon a ghoul appears. Be careful not to let him
get you! If he does, you'll lose a vampire life. The number you
have left is indicated by the number of bats in the upper left
corner. Look at the division problem in the center. Move to the
number that answers the problem (ignore the remainder, if any)
and press enter. If you're correct, another problem appears. If
you're incorrect another ghoul appears. A number disappears when
you select it. Once all sixteen problems have been correctly
answered a coffin appears, along with a doorway into it. Move the
vampire to the doorway and go in. Now you move on to another
vampire. On level two numbers become tombstones when you touch
them, so try to touch as few as possible. Move onto a tombstone
to see the number in it. However, you cannot see it unless you
move in front of it. On level three there are no numbers - just
tombstones. You must keep moving around until you find the number
you want. Good luck.

CLOCK TOWER

Curriculum: Music
To complete: Play three melodies
Levels: 6

In the clock tower lives a hunchback. He must play a musical tune
to be allowed to ring the tower bells. Move the mouse left and
right to move his finger. A bat will be flying left on the music
sheet. Move the hunchback's finger to the note the bat is flying
on and click to play the note and get rid of the bat. If you play
a wrong note a skull appears. A skull also appears if the bat
reaches the left side of the sheet. Always play the note of the
lead bat first. You must start over if three skulls appear. After
playing enough notes the hunchback plays it back to you. He may
also play some notes you didn't play. Then he tells you what song
you played and you move on to another melody. On level one you
play only in the treble clef, and the letters on the left side of
the sheet are colored to help you. On level two you play in the
base clef. On levels three and four you play in both clefs and
the letters are all black. On levels five and six there are no
letters at all. 

TOAD WELL

Curriculum: Arithmetic
To complete: Play three rounds
Levels: 5

This challenge has you playing as a hungry toad on the rim of a
well. At the bottom of the well is an equation. Now you must
gobble up the bug or bugs that answers the equation. Press left
to move the toad clockwise one space. Press right to move him
counterclockwise. There are eight spaces around the well. Press
spacebar to make him lash out his tongue and eat a bug in front
of him. If he eats the wrong bug, or if the right bug gets out of
the well, the toad falls into the well and dies. The number of
lives he has are indicated by the toads in the upper left corner.
You must start over if you run out of lives. Also eat purple
bugs. If one of them gets out of the well the toad falls in.
After you eat 20 bugs the round ends and it's on to the next
round. The math is tougher on higher levels. 

SPIDER WEB

Curriculum: Spelling
To complete: Feed three spiders
Levels: 5

In this challenge you are a hungry spider. First, a spider climbs
down to the bottom of the web. The bugs on the web say the word
to spell. Listen carefully as this is the only time you hear the
word. Now the spider moves up the strand of web it's on. Where
web strands intersect, press in the direction you want to go.
Otherwise you'll just go as straight as possible. The web strands
are all diagonals, so controlling the spider is tricky. You must
move him to the bug shaped like the first letter of the word.
Once you eat it it'll appear at the bottom of the screen in the
first box. Once you have collected all the correct bugs in the
proper order and have spelled the words the bugs say it to you.
You now move on to another word. If the spider touches the wrong
letter he dies. Another spider in the upper right corner takes
over. If you lose them all you must start over. On levels two and
three there is a giant red spider that moves randomly around the
web. Be careful not to touch him, as he'll kill you. On levels
four and five he'll chase you. Luckily you can outrun him. Also
on levels 3-5 the boxes at the bottom do not appear. 

MUTANT SWAMP

Curriculum: Logic
To complete: have three successful harvests
Levels: 3

Click on a bag of seeds on the left. Now click on a pile of dirt
you want to put a seed in. To remove seeds, click on the spade
and then on the seed(s) you wish to remove. Once you have placed
seeds where you want click the grow button and watch those plants
grow! If you meet the goal, as shown on the monitor in the upper
right, you move on to another garden. If not, click retry and try
again. The reason for your failure may be that you have not
placed enough seeds. Each seed can only yield a maximum of four
crops, so if you need 72 crops you need to place at least 18
seeds. Another reason for your failure might be that your seeds
are too tightly packed. There are several different kinds of
seeds, each with its own rules. For instance, one kind of seed
might only grow at all if it is not next to any other seedlings.
Another type may only grow if it is next to two seeds or less.
Still another type may have no problems with being next to other
seedlings. If you have enough seedlings to meet your goal and
they are not too tightly packed together but aren't growing, you
may need to give them more water and/or light. Try adjusting the
water or light meters. Each kind of seed has its own rules about
water and light, and there is such a thing as too much water or
light. On level two the goals are tougher to meet then on level
one. On level three there are two kinds of seeds, and you must
meet a goal for both. You may need to experiment with the seeds
until you find the right combination. Best of luck.

PIRATE SHIP

Curriculum: Geography
To complete: Collect four treasures
Levels: 6

This is a complicated one, so bear with me. Press the arrow keys
to move your ship around the map of the world. You can move
anywhere. Each move costs one bushel of food. You must start over
if you run out of food. Before you start moving a scroll appears
and gives you a clue about which country buried treasure is in.
Some countries are highlighted, which means there might be a
treasure there. Press enter in a highlighted country to research
it. Press spacebar in a highlighted country to dig for treasure
there. If you find a treasure another clue appears. The higher
the level the more difficult the clues are. To avoid running out
of food pick up food icons on the map. Each icon is worth ten
bushels of food. On the top is a second toolbar, only used in
this game, which gives you more information. On the toolber,
click the scroll to hear the clue again. Clicking the shovel to
dig for treasure, which you can also do with the spacebar. Click
on the book to research a country, which you can also do by
pressing enter. The toolbar also tells you how much food you have
left, how many cannonballs you have, and how many treasures
you've collected.

On the map pirate ships regularly cross the map. If you touch one
you go to battle mode. In battle mode press left or right to move
your cannon. Press spacebar to fire. Each shot uses up a
cannonball. You can only fire if you have cannonballs. To get
more cannonballs collect cannon icons on the map. Each icon is
worth one cannonball. I recommend aiming your cannon straight
ahead - this makes it easier to hit the pirate ship. The enemy
ship passes in front of you. About 2/3 of the way across, it
fires at you. If it hits you, one of your icons in the upper left
corner turns red. You retain damage from battle to battle. If the
enemy hits you three times he takes some of you food and
cannonballs. But, if you hit him he can't hit you. If you hit him
three times you get some food and cannonballs. If you sink him,
he sinks you, or if he passes by five times you return to the
map. In the latter case nobody gets any stuff. 

Now that I've told you about all the challenges, you should play
and play and play. Once you rescued all your classmates and have
25 keys (if you don't, play some challenges around the island to
get them) it's time to rescue your classmates from Mrs. Grunkle's
attic. Go to her house and walk up to it. Walk in and five of
your keys will be used in opening the first door. In the first
room Mrs. Grunkle's waiting for you. She does some evil magic and
you find yourself in the labyrinth. Getting out of this labyrinth
reminds me of breaking into Fort Knox. But, there is a cheat.
Exit the game and come back in and you'll find yourself out of
the labyrinth. Go back to Mrs. Grunkle's house and go in again.
This time she's gone and you can go up to the door to the next
room. She'll cast you off again, but just exit the game and come
back. Repeat this for each room. Once you open the fifth door
you'll rescue your classmates. Ta-da! You completed the game!