'GiantKiller' is a classic (i.e. text-only) and tongue-in-cheek Maths adventure game based on Jack and the Beanstalk. It's aimed at 8 to 14 year olds - yes, really - although older children and adults may enjoy it too.

In 'GiantKiller' you take the role of Jack (or Jackie) to buy a pig! Unfortunately they've all been sold, so you can either go home in disgrace, or spend your groat at one of the market stalls on which - with luck and some sound mathematical thinking - you'll win a magic bean. Early puzzles focus on calculator, space and co-ordinates, moving into tessellations, topology, and mapwork. Explore all the locations, make a map, find the treasures and see how many points you can win. Like most of our Maths, software, 'GiantKiller' is an amusing diversion from 'Numeracy' and a chance to explore Maths in a 'different' way. It's a great activity for parents and children to discover together (with no test at the end), and what's more it's .....

A Little Bit of History

'GiantKiller' was the first title we released way back in 1987 on the brilliant BBC Micro. Its author, the late Peter Killworth (oceanographer and social network pioneer) resisted all requests to add pictures, believing that we all learn best from the images we make in our heads rather than viewing someone else's.

Download it (845Kb, for Windows only)

It's here, it's FREE, and it runs in a DOS window on Win95 to Vista. You'll also get the Players' Guide and Teachers' Guide as PDFs. We won't nick your email address or track you in any way - promise - but you might like to donate to the Motor Neurone Disease Association which researches the illness that claimed Peter.

Play it

'GiantKiller' isn't a 'web app'. It needs installing to your PC, so double-click the downloaded file to install it, then use the 'GiantKiller' icon (on your desktop or in your Windows 'Start' menu). Read the notes that pop up (available on your Start menu too), then commence, er, 'killing'!

Brag about it

Tell us what you think on our Jack The GiantKiller blog. Did you miss not having any pictures? Tell your friends what a Maths dude you are by emailing them here.