Sum-thing: Math Link Puzzle

Sum-thing is the first game I built entirely with AI. I wanted to find out how far AI could really go in making a game, and I was genuinely pleased with the result.

It is one of six games in my learning series for young minds:

• PhysKids: Fun Physics for KidsPhysics & natural phenomena
• Sum-thing: Math Link PuzzleMental math
• Rail Shift: Cargo MasterFocus & concentration
• Mazecraft JourneyProblem solving
• Brainy TrialsMemory
• Which Way WizGeneral knowledge

If you have played match-3 games, it will feel familiar, with a twist. Find two neighbouring balls whose numbers add up to exactly the target. The clock is always ticking and new balls keep pouring in. Let the board fill up, and the game is over.

I made Sum-thing to sharpen mental arithmetic. Calculating quickly takes more than knowing your sums. It draws on techniques like estimating and rounding, which train both reasoning and observation.

Although it sits in a series for kids, Sum-thing is every bit as much for grown-ups, perhaps even more so. There are four difficulty levels to start from: Little Kid (ages 4–7), Tweens (ages 8–12), Adult and God. Pick whichever feels comfortable, but be warned: the challenge keeps climbing the longer you play. Near the end of God level you will be adding numbers in the thousands, with subtraction and multiplication thrown in. To be honest, I haven't made it that far myself.