The Case of the Crumbling Cathedral

The Case of the Crumbling Cathedral is a 2012 game, the third in the 5-part Carmen Sandiego Adventures in Math series. The single-player edutainment game was released for the Wii on January 12, 2012. It was published by The Learning Company and developed by Gamelion, and is worth 600 Wii Points.^[1]

Synopsis

Nintendo Life explains the storyline:^[2]

As is generally the case, Sandiego is busy using one of her goons from the criminal organization V.I.L.E. to abscond with a precious landmark. This time, St. Basil’s Cathedral has been turned to sand, and it’s up to you to put your best detective skills to the test and solve the mystery to figure out which V.I.L.E. villain could have gotten away with such a heinous crime

Gameplay

Nintendo Life described the gameplay mechanics:^[3]

As is the case with the previous two games in this light-hearted edutainment series, the adventure consists of point-and-click style gameplay interspersed with puzzles, much like the popular Professor Layton series of Nintendo DS games. Because this game is meant to be educational and teach young players basic math skills, all of the puzzles that you run into require you to complete some form of basic math problem.

Maths topics included in the game include: Symmetry, Identifying angles, Graphing coordinates on a grid, Logic puzzles, Working with fractions, Solving equations, and Tangrams. The game is designed for elementary learners across grades 3–5.^[4]

Critical reception

Nintendo Life gave the gave a rating of 5 stars out of 10, and said: "Without having played the previous two games in this ongoing series, you probably won’t be too interested in getting this one either. While it retains all of the charm of the first two episodes, it does nothing more to improve on the formula or stand out as a worthwhile investment. At 600 Nintendo Points, the asking price isn’t too outrageous, but the lack of depth and replayability is a glaring issue for anyone looking for a game with any sort of lasting appeal. Carmen Sandiego Adventures in Math: The Case of the Crumbling Cathedral is more of the same, and at this point you should know that it’s not much to behold."^[5] PixelBit rated the game 2/5 stars, commenting "With this third episode it becomes even clearer that Carmen Sandiego's adventure in math should've been released as one retail title that featured more polished gameplay and a greater selection of puzzles. If you've already picked up either of the first two episodes, The Case of the Crumbling Cathedral is not for you."^[6]

References