Munchers
Encyclopedia
Munchers was a series of educational
/edutainment
computer games produced by the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium (MECC) for several operating system
s. They were popular among American
schoolchildren in the 1980s and 1990s and were the recipients of several awards. The two original games in the series were Number Munchers
and Word Munchers
.
) which roamed the grid.
Eating a grid containing information that did not match the criterion of the play mode chosen or being caught by a Troggle resulted in the loss of a life.
If all grids containing information matching the criterion were eaten from the screen, the level ended and the player was presented with an amusing short scene, similar to Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner
scenes, in which the Muncher foils the Troggles' plans to catch it and often destroys the Troggle in some comical manner. The game gets continually faster and harder each level.
of Troggle, each of which was given an English and a Latin (binomial
) name:
Troggles pause momentarily after each move; players do not need to pause, and thus players move faster than and can always outrun Troggles. Indeed, as long as a player keeps moving, a player cannot be eaten by Troggle unless the player walks into the Troggle or becomes surrounded by multiple Troggles.
Since Troggles appear from off the side of the grid, players should typically avoid the squares at the edges of the grid to avoid being surprised by a Troggle. However, because there is a set number of Troggles that can appear on the grid at once (a higher number at higher levels), once that number of Troggles is on-screen, a player would be safe venturing to the squares at the edge of the grid.
Since a player gained extra lives whenever the player accumulated enough points, it was possible for a player to eat all relevant squares in a level except one, and then sit around and wait for Troggles to repopulate the grid with information. This had the advantage by that staying on the same early level, the level remained at the same easy setting while the player was able to rack up both points and extra lives.
If the Muncher stands in a square next to a square occupied by a Troggle, if one times the move correctly, one can move into the Troggle's square just as the Troggle moves out of the square into the square previously occupied by the Muncher. The sprites
for the Muncher and the Troggle will pass through each other without the Muncher being eaten by the Troggle.
On rare occasions the safety square will appear on a square already occupied by a troggle. In this case the troggle is instantly vaporized with a comical sound. This would explain why troggles are reluctant to enter the safety square in the first place.
, the Muncher would wear a Santa Claus
hat
(however, one would have to own a computer that remembered the date, or was never turned off, since not all computers had this technology at the time the game was popular).
The original version only allowed navigation through the keyboard
arrow keys. Later versions featured better graphics and added mouse
support.
Educational game
Educational games are games that have been designed to teach people about a certain subject, expand concepts, reinforce development, understand an historical event or culture, or assist them in learning a skill as they play...
/edutainment
Edutainment
Edutainment is a form of entertainment designed to educate as well as to amuse.-Overview:...
computer games produced by the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium (MECC) for several operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
s. They were popular among American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
schoolchildren in the 1980s and 1990s and were the recipients of several awards. The two original games in the series were Number Munchers
Number Munchers
Number Munchers is an educational/edutainment computer game in the Munchers series produced by the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium for several operating systems. Designed to teach basic math skills, it was popular among American school children in the 1980s and 1990s and was the...
and Word Munchers
Word Munchers
Word Munchers is an educational/edutainment computer game in the Munchers series produced by the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium for several operating systems. Designed to teach basic grammar skills, it was popular among American schoolchildren in the 1980s and 1990s...
.
Gameplay
In all the Munchers games, the player controlled a green "Muncher" character across a grid of squares containing a short numerical or word expression. The objective is to consume all and only the grids containing information satisfying a specific criterion (determined by the mode of play) while also avoiding the deadly "Troggle" monsters (name probably derived from troglodyteCaveman
A caveman or troglodyte is a stock character based upon widespread concepts of the way in which early prehistoric humans may have looked and behaved...
) which roamed the grid.
Eating a grid containing information that did not match the criterion of the play mode chosen or being caught by a Troggle resulted in the loss of a life.
If all grids containing information matching the criterion were eaten from the screen, the level ended and the player was presented with an amusing short scene, similar to Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner
Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner
Wile E. Coyote and The Road Runner are a duo of cartoon characters from a series of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons. The characters were created by animation director Chuck Jones in 1948 for Warner Bros., while the template for their adventures was the work of writer Michael Maltese...
scenes, in which the Muncher foils the Troggles' plans to catch it and often destroys the Troggle in some comical manner. The game gets continually faster and harder each level.
Troggles
There were several type of "Troggles." Each type of Troggle moved in a specific pattern. There were five speciesSpecies
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of Troggle, each of which was given an English and a Latin (binomial
Binomial nomenclature
Binomial nomenclature is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, although they can be based on words from other languages...
) name:
- Reggies (Trogglus normalus) - magenta in color on the Apple II, red in color in DOS, purple in color on a Macintosh; simply moves in a line unless redirected by a safety square in its path.
- Bashfuls (Trogglus timidus) - green in color on the Apple II, blue in color in DOS, pink in color on a Macintosh; moves in an arbitrary manner on the gameboard, unless approached by a Muncher, in which case he moves away from the Muncher. Became purple in later releases in the series.
- Helpers (Trogglus assistus), - also green in color on an Apple II, and also green in DOS, but magenta on a Macintosh; this Troggle eats all answers, leaving nothing behind. Became purple in later releases in the series.
- Workers (Trogglus laborus) - purple and white in color on both the Apple II and DOS but magenta and white on a Macintosh; this Troggle adds new answers and/or changes existing answers as he moves around.
- Smarties (Trogglus smarticus) - a green Troggle on most systems (yellow in DOS) with large teeth and glasses, and the most difficult enemy to avoid; always follows the Muncher on the board.
Tips and tricks
Better players of the game used a number of tricks. First, they memorized the fixed Troggle movement patterns, making possible such tricks as "dogging" a Troggle: following along right behind, just one square away, from the Troggle.Troggles pause momentarily after each move; players do not need to pause, and thus players move faster than and can always outrun Troggles. Indeed, as long as a player keeps moving, a player cannot be eaten by Troggle unless the player walks into the Troggle or becomes surrounded by multiple Troggles.
Since Troggles appear from off the side of the grid, players should typically avoid the squares at the edges of the grid to avoid being surprised by a Troggle. However, because there is a set number of Troggles that can appear on the grid at once (a higher number at higher levels), once that number of Troggles is on-screen, a player would be safe venturing to the squares at the edge of the grid.
Since a player gained extra lives whenever the player accumulated enough points, it was possible for a player to eat all relevant squares in a level except one, and then sit around and wait for Troggles to repopulate the grid with information. This had the advantage by that staying on the same early level, the level remained at the same easy setting while the player was able to rack up both points and extra lives.
If the Muncher stands in a square next to a square occupied by a Troggle, if one times the move correctly, one can move into the Troggle's square just as the Troggle moves out of the square into the square previously occupied by the Muncher. The sprites
Sprite (computer graphics)
In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene...
for the Muncher and the Troggle will pass through each other without the Muncher being eaten by the Troggle.
On rare occasions the safety square will appear on a square already occupied by a troggle. In this case the troggle is instantly vaporized with a comical sound. This would explain why troggles are reluctant to enter the safety square in the first place.
Easter egg
An Easter egg in the game was that between December 1 and ChristmasChristmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
, the Muncher would wear a Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
hat
Hat
A hat is a head covering. It can be worn for protection against the elements, for ceremonial or religious reasons, for safety, or as a fashion accessory. In the past, hats were an indicator of social status...
(however, one would have to own a computer that remembered the date, or was never turned off, since not all computers had this technology at the time the game was popular).
Versions
The Munchers series included:- Number MunchersNumber MunchersNumber Munchers is an educational/edutainment computer game in the Munchers series produced by the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium for several operating systems. Designed to teach basic math skills, it was popular among American school children in the 1980s and 1990s and was the...
- Word MunchersWord MunchersWord Munchers is an educational/edutainment computer game in the Munchers series produced by the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium for several operating systems. Designed to teach basic grammar skills, it was popular among American schoolchildren in the 1980s and 1990s...
- Super Munchers
- Fraction Munchers
- Math Munchers
- Super Number Munchers
- Super Word Munchers
- Word Munchers Deluxe
- Knowledge Munchers Deluxe
- Troggle Trouble Math
The original version only allowed navigation through the keyboard
Computer keyboard
In computing, a keyboard is a typewriter-style keyboard, which uses an arrangement of buttons or keys, to act as mechanical levers or electronic switches...
arrow keys. Later versions featured better graphics and added mouse
Mouse (computing)
In computing, a mouse is a pointing device that functions by detecting two-dimensional motion relative to its supporting surface. Physically, a mouse consists of an object held under one of the user's hands, with one or more buttons...
support.