Do I really need to do an intro for this? Because there’s not much to say other than this was the first title in the Super Solver/Seekers series, and my first exposure to all things Learning Company because we all have to start somewhere (yeah Carmen Sandiego classic edition doesn’t really count because it was not a Learning Company original even though by then the franchise was owned by them) 
 
Gameplay and Story: So Morty Maxwell, aka the Master of Mischief has made some robots and they are hiding out at Shady Glen Elementary School for one purpose....to make it disappear, and of course the Super Solvers have gotten wind of this and are planning to stop him. So Morty plans on hiding in one of the robots, and in order to succeed in his plan he has to stay hidden until midnight then they can use the disappearing paint to make the school disappear. In order for Super Solver to find the Master of Mischief he has to take pictures of the Robots and do a little light reading (we get excerpts from some well-known literature as well as newspaper articles from either Shady Glen or the school newspaper (and there’s also some hilarious Diary entries from people that went to school with Morty and even some school reports...including some from Morty...I hope he got a good mark on that Kangaroo report...wait how many rabbits did he say he have?) to find the clues because the clues in the reading material will coincide with what we see in the photos of the robots, granted most of the classic lit is kind of obscure I mean I didn’t know Mary Poppins Opens the Door was a book same goes for the Courage of Sarah Noble. Make sure you guess where the Master of Mischief is before midnight, because if you don’t the school will disappear.....all that happens is that the round you just played won’t count (though you get taken back to the sign in screen) however if you guess incorrectly the robot you wrongfully accused will hit you with disappearing paint and then the school disappears....and there’s no consequences there basically you go back to the game and the graphic says we need a certain about of points to move up in rank. The Amount of bonus points you get will depend on how much film is left over and how much time is left in the round

Graphics: So clearly this is the remastered version that was released sometime in the late 90s which I owned a copy of (and it’s scratched up pretty good...or rather bad I’m surprised it’s still useable), also the Robots look different from their old design from Midnight Rescue but I don’t know if it’s an upgrade or creepy (especially Buffo) 
 
Soundtrack: When you are in the hallways of the school you will hear a segment of the score (but not the actual music) that was used in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, and when you are in the rooms of the school there’s another classical piece that I don’t know the name of but it’s a familiar one. The Robots themselves have their own unique sound but then again they are made by different paintbrush designs. Also I’m pretty sure Super Solver was voiced by the same kid that voice Santiago in the Cluefinders Games (I mean it was pretty obvious with Mission T.H.I.N.K.) 
 
Addictive: I got this game on August 12th 1999 (along with Spellbound, it came in a bundle) but I don’t remember how long it took me to finish it I think I finished it before the year was over (especially since I got the four-game bundle that contained Word Detective, Math Munchers, Gizmo’s and Gadgets and Yukon Trail) 
 
Depth: oh this is a long game, when I added it to the gaming rotation four years ago it took more than 90 minutes to get from All-star to Champion, there’s no way the game can be played in one sitting because even if you do succeed in finishing it you keep going on and on (but the ending changes once you are promoted to Champion) 
 
Difficulty: Until you hit Senior level you have to take a robot’s picture only once and when that happens all the clues will be there, after that you haven’t to take pictures twice, and once you hit Expert you have to do it four times, why? Because you have to find four clues for each robot, and as the game gets more difficult you will see a lot more taunt letters from The Master of Mischief and they will really waste your time, and the Robots tricks get more obnoxious and they can get faster which can make for more crashing and it will cost you a roll of film (if you get caught in one of the Robot’s tricks you will lose time on the clock) the reading material isn’t that difficult but when you hit questions that ask what is the point of this essay or report or the book then things may get a little tricky 
 
Post Review Follow up: Believe it or not this was actually the first Super Solver/Seeker title and even then it was called Midnight Rescue (this is going to call for another before and after graphic) yeah it was hard to tell for me considering that I had the remastered version, shame they didn’t bother to remaster Spellbound (will need to play Outnumbered because I know it got remastered, I’m starting to wonder if the best selling games got makeovers) I kind of wish they did


Before (DOS version)



After(Hybrid CD version)


Thank god tomorrow is a rest day because I need time to write more reviews, even though I said I had plenty of reviews that were pre-written I somehow feel I didn't do enough, I even pre-wrote some while I was at work

and lest you think I was exaggerating the robot makeovers here's Buffo Before

and after

I remember the learning company games. I played them often when I was in Elementary school. Often times after school because my mother also worked at the school I would play these games if I did not have much homework to do. Due to my mom working at the school I would have to wait till she got done and this is when I would play them.

However, I am not familiar with this one though. I guess it must have come out when I had moved on to middle school. Your review though makes it sound like it would be a fun pc game to play. Also sounds like it would be a good game to introduce to elementary school children.

I hated it when the learning company folded and went out. I was also glad I got to expierance some of their games. Anyway, awesome review.

It was probably known under a different title back in your day, it was known was Midnight Rescue, it was later rereleased as Super Solvers Reading ages 9-12