
I first learned about the web game, “Refraction“, from Julie Greller’s post on “A Media Specialist’s Guide to the Internet”. Â Since my 5th grade daughter happens to be knee-deep in fractions right now, I was intrigued by Julie’s description of the game, which involves guiding lasers to power spaceships. Â I followed her link to the game to check it out for myself.
Big mistake.
I really didn’t need another internet addiction, but “Refraction” has all of the elements that make it worthy of adding to your Favorites list. Â First of all, your mission is to help the poor, lonely spaceships of animals drifting along with no fuel. Â So, that should appeal to everyone’s heroic inclinations. Â Secondly, the game slowly introduces challenges that keep it from becoming boring, but also make you do some mental gymnastics. Â More and more spaceships need fuel, and some need a quarter of your laser beam or a third or a half. Â Math and logic are definitely necessary skills in order to succeed in this game!