User Reviews (1 - 11 of 12)

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genuis

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: January 02, 2008
Author: Amazon User

it is one of the best games you learn a lot more in this game than any game in the world. I would buy it for anybody in your home.

Does not work on all PS's

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: January 07, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I would be wary of buying this item. It would not run on a Vista machine that I have, but ran ok on a XP box. This is a little to complicated for young children (under 10)

Unless you are a physics major...this game is pretty lame

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 2
Date: February 29, 2008
Author: Amazon User

If you are trying to brush up on your high school physics, this game is for you!!! Otherwise, don't waste your money.

Unable to install

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: April 08, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Unable to install this program on vista laptop or xp desktop. German documentation offered little recourse other than return CD which I did.

Hard but driving

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: September 23, 2007
Author: Amazon User

What drives people? Challenge and this game has plenty. Translated from German to English some parts are still in German. The beginning parts are easy enough, 2 times 600N is 1200 Newtons, but keep going and you have to answer questions on Einstein's relativity theory. Some questions have the wrong numbers, if you calculate using them it won't work. For instance find the diameter of a molecule, if you use 1/40000 like they say it's 10. WRONG you must use 1/4000 and it's 14. They diluted the oil fleck wrong. Other little errors make this game somewhat frustrating. Right now I am stuck trying to fill in the words from John Bardeens paper on semi-conductors. I even printscreend the proper answer (after they so graciously told me after I tried 3 wrong answers) and printed it out to get the exact words to type in but it still will not accept the answer, and I'm an electrical engineer! Same with the cathode ray tube, I know I'm typing in the correct words, it just won't accept them. I suspect something was lost in the translation. All in all this game got my brain working and I do feel like a rocket science genius afterward, I just wish I could finish it. I was able to calculate the first 2 stages of rocket speed correctly but the third is always in error. I couldn't find any patch for it, but the German Cornelsen website looks like it has a patch for the German version. I tried installing it but didn't work.

ADDED:Just to be fair I should add that I DID get tech support and they helped me finish. THANKS!

Great Thinking Game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 11
Date: January 09, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Got this game for my 12 year old and he LOVES it! You need to have a pretty new computer to use it and it took a few trys to get it downloaded. Once it was installed it was a really wonderful game! If you have a child that likes puzzles and figuring things out, they will love it too!

Intelligent fun if you like physics and science

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 13 / 24
Date: March 21, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Make sure you get the cheats to keep a lot of cash in the bank. This game is totally addictive.

Great but only for a real genius

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: October 08, 2007
Author: Amazon User

We purchased this product for our (advanced) 5th grade son. We did so, since this came up under a search for childrens' software. We did not see any age range anywhere. Well...he loves the concepts, but the physics that needs to be done is not only above his head, but mine as well! The first few problems we had no difficulty with, then we hit a wall.
Great game, just be aware this is for those in High School and up!

NO tech support

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 42 / 58
Date: February 06, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Game sounded good but have not been able to play it. Bought it for my kids for Christmas and installed on two computers. I'm having serious video problems on both machines that render the game unplayable. Called Viva Media and got a message telling me the best way to get support was by email. I have emailed their tech support 3 times since December 29th (today is Feb 5) and have received only automated responses that tell me to be patient. Well, we are working on week six...

I am very computer literate and a bit of a computer nerd and rarely do I need tech support as I am able to resolve problems on my own. If you buy this game I hope you have better luck than we have.

Really fun for a limited audience; but needs better documentation

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 28 / 28
Date: December 28, 2006
Author: Amazon User

"Genius" is an educational simulation game, where you're building an industrial complex -- plop down factories, roads, houses, fire departments and such. As the game progresses, you complete physics puzzles to obtain new technologies and product improvements. You subscribe to newspapers, which contain answers to some questions and the knowledge or equations needed to solve others.

The physics problems are entertaining, well designed, well documented, implemented excellently, and can be quite fun. They are presented as problems you encounter during business operation, for example while developing a new product. All of the information you need is provided. The game will appeal to children 8 & up, but these physics problems are more like age 16 & up because they require high school math. So, children & youths may need help from a parent who remembers algebra and preferably physics -- yikes! Some of the questions are easy & fun. Some require you to be comfortable with algebra, converting between units, and applying formulae. A few are very difficult. Fortunately, the questions are the same each time, so after figuring out the answers, you can write them down & just enter the answers next time. Sometimes the game even gives you the correct answer after it is too late, so you can write it down for next time. Unfortunately, I can't find a cheat sheet list of answers on the web -- too bad, this would really help. The level of difficulty of these questions isn't a problem, just be warned.

The simulation side of the game is suffers in comparison. The industrial simulation controls are poorly documented. What each building does and when/why/where it is appropriate/inappropriate and how to run the game is somewhat of a mystery. There's no way to figure out whether building something will be good or bad except trial and error -- logic doesn't always help. Bad decisions spiral out of control, seem to lead inevitably to bankruptcy. Unfortunately, wrong answers on the physics problems can have the same effect. There is a "statistics" report that is supposed to give feedback on whether your company is making or loosing money, but this form doesn't have enough information.

So, expect some trial & error, some frustration, some algebra, some physics, & some reading through magazines looking for obscure clues. "Genius" can be really fun, but could use some interface improvements. Highly recommended for anyone taking physics in high school or college.

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