No, I am not smarter than a 5^th Grader. However, as I keep pointing out to people, that’s not surprising, as they’ve just learned this stuff, and it’s been 35 years since I did. In 5^th grade, I knew all the presidents, all the states and their capitals. I can only recall a few of these now. Ah well, excuses, excuses.

Are You Smarter Than a 5^th Grader: Make the Grade is a faithful rendition of the popular game show, with some extra game modes, as well. Besides the main version, which is a replica of the TV show, there are three other multiplayer modes. In the main mode, players will choose a fifth grader and then begin answering questions. These question run the gamut from science to grammar. The grade levels range from fifth grade to first grade. As in the TV show, players begin at the prize level of $1,000 and increase up to $1,000,000. There are several “cheats,” where players can use their fifth grade partner and use their answer.

The modes are multiplayer, either against the computer or a human opponent. These are: Academic Academy, Flashcards and Spelling Academy. Academic Academy is the mult-player version of the main mode, where multiple players (computer or human) compete in turns to win increasing amounts of money. Flashcards is a speed quiz of general knowledge, and Spelling Academy is a speed quiz of misspelled words. Correct answers earn points and answering first earns extra points.

All of these game modes are fun and well-designed. The format is just like the TV version, and Jeff Foxworthy is his usual smart-aleck self. The main consideration of these PC versions of quizzing game shows is how well the questions are randomized. I played through each mode several times, and didn’t get any of the same questions. There are supposedly 6,000 questions and they appear to be well randomized. The general knowledge questions are questions like: “Mars has the highest mountain in the solar system, what is the name?,” “Which word is a Palindrome?” and “Which term is not a climate term?” No, I didn’t know the name of the highest mountain and bombed that question.

While this game is fun and I like the TV show well enough, I’m not ever quite sure of the point of porting any of these shows like Deal or no Deal, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Jeopardy, and other similar shows to the PC or other in-home format. However, I’m sure others really enjoy playing them against their family members. Myself, I would rather play a real board game when I can get my family all together and torture them with forced entertainment.

If these games are your cup of tea, Are You Smarter Than a 5^th Grader: Make the Grade is a good choice for families with children of different ages, because everyone can play in the multi-player modes. This is nice for families looking for PC games that can teach and entertain at the same time.

Gameplay: 7.0
This is a fun enough example of a game show on the PC. There is a good variety of formats, and everyone can play and compete. The design is very similar to the real show on TV. The questions appear to be plentiful and well-randomized.

Graphics: 6.0
The graphics are nothing out of the ordinary. Jeff Foxworthy looks like himself, but is animated stiffly, as are the other characters. The backgrounds are nothing special, either.  

Sound: 7.0
The music and sound effects are well enough and help purvey the sense of the real show.

Difficulty: Medium
The level of difficulty can be set from easy to hard, but this mostly affects the computer opponents’ skill level. The game itself is not difficult and is easy to pick up and play even for players who are not familiar with the game show.

Concept: 6.0
Well, there is nothing new here, these game-show games have been around forever on various console and gaming systems. The execution is good, though.

Multiplayer: 7.0
There are several multiplayer modes, which are probably the best way to play and enjoy this game.

Overall: 6.5
Are You Smarter Than a 5^th Grader is an average port of a popular game show. It’s fun enough, but there are not a whole lot of things to do besides answer trivia questions. It is enjoyable for short spurts of time with the family.