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The Wizard of Id’s WizMath

ColecoVision

ColecoVision

Spook needs to escape from the King of Id's dungeons. He slips out but Turnkey is in pursuit. He needs to solve math problems to open the way to his escape. Wizard of Id's WizMath is an educational game to teach mathematics. Using your joystick, you must move blocks into place so they complete...

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Developer
Sierra Entertainment

Released on
1984

Size
1 Player

Version
ColecoVision

Requirements
ColecoVision

Downloads
Action

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

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Description

Spook needs to escape from the King of Id’s dungeons. He slips out but Turnkey is in pursuit. He needs to solve math problems to open the way to his escape.

Wizard of Id’s WizMath is an educational game to teach mathematics. Using your joystick, you must move blocks into place so they complete a correct math problem and answer. If you push against a block, you will send it flying until it hits a wall or another block. You can also face a block and hold down the button. While keeping the button down, you can then slide the block as needed. There is a sixty second time limit and you are being pursued by Turnkey. Early levels require only one math problem to exit but later levels require two or more.

Early in the game, you can select a floor on an elevator. The higher the floor, the more difficult the math problems. The game also asks your age. The older you say you are, the higher a floor it tries to start you on, although you can select a lower floor.

The Wizard of Id's WizMath

Overview & History

Released in 1984 by Coleco for the ColecoVision, The Wizard of Id's WizMath is an ambitious and educational spin-off based on Brant Parker and Johnny Hart’s famous newspaper comic strip. Rather than focusing solely on traditional platforming or combat, the game cleverly merges the medieval satirical world of Id with arithmetic challenges. Players take on the role of the diminutive, cynical ruler, the King, who must navigate various hazards to prove his mathematical prowess. While educational games of that era were often dry, this title attempts to inject personality by utilizing the recognizable comic branding, making it a distinct collector's item for fans of retro gaming oddities and vintage syndicated newspaper memorabilia.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

The game unfolds across a series of single-screen and multi-tiered stages inspired by the classic comic strip's castle setting. Players must guide the King while avoiding whimsical obstacles, castle guards, and traps orchestrated by the mischievous Wizard. The core gameplay loop requires the player to solve arithmetic equations—addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division—posed by Wiz. Correct answers grant access to new areas, treasures, or points, while incorrect answers lead to humorous punitive animations typical of the strip's slapstick tone. The pacing shifts dynamically between frantic platform navigation and focused cognitive problem-solving, creating an eccentric educational hybrid that rewards both quick reflexes and mental agility.