Thinkin' Things Collection 3 (0)

Overview

Thinkin’ Things Collection 3 contains five activities. Like the previous installments in the series these activities don’t feature any plot or overarching narrative, but they do provide sandboxes in which to explore challenging fields like commodities trading, programming, and physics.

As with previous games in the series, most of the activities are easy enough for children but, thanks to a generous difficulty slider, can also be engaging for adults. Unlike previous games there are no local multiplayer options.

The Activities

Stocktopus

A trading game featuring the eponymous Stocktopus, a purple octopus who (assumedly) makes his living as a commodities broker with international trade contacts. Players start with a collection of everyday objects and a goal inventory they can obtain using various trades.

At the beginner difficulty there is only a single path through the trade sequence. At more advanced levels there are multiple paths and intertwined or contradictory trades. If a player feels that they’ve passed a point of no return, a reset button is available.

Carving Blox

A physics sandbox featuring colored marbles of various weights as well as terrain shaping tools. Players can modify the background using a variety of tools, creating ramps, changing friction and gravity, or gouging grooves. Although it lacks a specific goal there are a variety of preset “ideas” (a pool table, mazes, slides, etc…) to inspire the player.

Photo Twister

An image manipulation game where players can select an image and use an arsenal of characters, each with their own effect, to modify the image. Players can select between two modes: sandbox, and a single player challenge. In sandbox mode, players can use all of the characters at their disposal to manipulate the image at will. In single player they are shown images with multiple manipulations and must replicate it. The replication is dependent on not only using the same tools, but recognizing the order in which they were used.

Half Time

A logic sandbox that encourages players to experiment with rudimentary programming behaviors under the guise of creating a football halftime show. The play space is laid out in a 28x15 grid in which three types of characters can be placed (up to 30 total) each with their own assigned behavior. The behavior is placed onto a timeline and played sequentially. As with other sandbox activities, players can view preset ideas to get them started.

Fripple Place

A logic game in which players have to figure out which fripple belongs in each apartment based on physical descriptions given by their neighbors (e.g. “the fripple above me has glasses”) or given to a room (e.g. “all fripples on this side are green”). Clues become fewer and more obtuse as the difficulty level increases.

System Requirements

Windows 95 or 486 MHz PC or faster

Windows 3.11

• 8 MB RAM
• 2x CD-ROM or higher
• Super VGA

Macintosh

• 8 MB RAM
• 2x CD-ROM
• System 6.0.7 or higher