If you’ve been playing Neopets for quite some time now, you should be familiar with the game Alien Invasion, which was removed only to return as Math’s Nightmare. If you are a new player, or just haven’t tried out the game, then you’ll first need to know what this game is all about. Math’s Nightmare is, as the title proclaims, a math game. The object of the game is to keep the Babaas jumping over the fence by solving each math problem. There are four types of problems to choose from: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, as well as a fifth choice that gives you random problems.
In my opinion, the most obvious thing to do is brush up on your math. I’m not suggesting that you do extra math homework, only that you make sure that you know the difference between 5*2 and 5+2. This shouldn’t be a problem for most Neopets players, so there is no need for me, I hope, to include a math lesson in this article. However, I would like to point out that paying close attention is important; otherwise, you will, unfortunately, end up typing seven instead of ten.
Secondly, use those arrow keys! The game will automatically select the next problem, but using arrow keys speeds things up, and will allow you to solve problems faster. When I play this game, I use the keypad, instead of the numbers above the letter portion of the keyboard. This puts my hands right next to the numbers and arrow keys at the same time. Just make sure that you have Num Lock turned on.
Thirdly, play the game a bit and see which types of problems you do best at. I, for example, seem to do better at subtraction than addition; luckily, subtraction problems award more points. Just remember that the mutant Babaas have problems that are more difficult to do mentally, so if you feel like it will help, use a calculator. If like me, you don’t have a big problem with mental arithmetic don’t bother with a calculator, as it is unnecessary and will slow you down.
Lastly, as with any game, you have to play it quite a bit to get a good score. So, don’t be upset if, on the first try, you don’t make the high score table. Keep playing, and remember that math is your friend :). – wolfsbane101