App review by David Thomas, Common Sense Education | Updated June 2015

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LEGO Mindstorms Fix the Factory

Name: Lego Mindstorms Fix the Factory
Item: Lego Mindstorms Fix the Factory
Rating: 3
Author: David Thomas

Program robots, solve puzzles with neat but basic LEGO game

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Grades

3–9

Subjects & Skills

Math, Critical Thinking

Great for

Coding, Game-Based Learning

Take a look inside

4 images

The simple interface makes learning the game a snap

Add commands and complete each puzzle level

Number of commands and complexity of the puzzles increases each level

Levels are scored on speed, attempts and time

Pros: Polished, challenging puzzles build critical-thinking skills.

Cons: There's not much to learn about programming or robots.

Bottom Line: While kids will be highly engaged, it leans a bit too much on the puzzle-solving over the robotics, engineering, and coding one would expect in a Mindstorms title.

How Can I Teach with This Tool?

Teachers can use Fix the Factory to whet the appetite of kids interested in building and programming robots. The professional package will lure in players. And the easy intro levels will hook kids with the idea that they, too, can program 'bots. After Fix the Factory, creative students could move on to visual programming tools like Scratch or Hopscotch. For puzzle lovers looking to level up, CodeMonkey is a good next step, as it gets students writing lines of code.

What Is It?

LEGO MINDSTORMS Fix the Factory is a logic puzzle game based on the popular Lego Mindstorms physical robotics kits. By dragging and dropping simple commands onto the screen, players program a small Mindstorms robot as it navigates a futuristic factory and replaces batteries. Sequences of commands -- forward, turn left and right, pick up and put down, and more -- send the little 'bot on its mission. Challenges such as electric fences, conveyor belts, and rotating platforms challenge players to think through the right string of commands to direct their robot toward its goal. While the game scores players for speed and accuracy, the infinite redos allow players to solve the puzzles in as many steps as necessary.

Is It Good for Learning?

Lego's Mindstorms robot-building kits have long been a mainstay in robotics classrooms, so Fix the Factory promises some serious robot programming challenges. Despite a polished package, it actually presents a fairly straightforward puzzle game. Sequencing commands to get the robot to performs tasks provides a solid introduction to linear programming concepts, but the simplified set of commands and challenging puzzle levels doesn't leave much room for exploration or learning of more complex concepts. In the end, Fix the Factory is an amusing game but stops just short of tackling concepts teachers would prefer were addressed.

Learning Rating

Overall Rating

Engagement

Featuring the LEGO brand and usual LEGO quality, Fix the Factory will appeal to kids who want to play with robots. The simple interface and professional graphics make this an appealing digital toy.

Pedagogy

While fun to play with, this LEGO puzzle game doesn't take kids very far in understanding programming or robots.

Support

If players get stuck, they're on their own. At that point, all kids can do is keep trying things or ask someone for help.

Common Sense reviewer

David Thomas Director of academic technology

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