Factor Mania Help!

This program will help you practice working with factors and prime numbers while you try to beat the computer's score.

Choose a level from the Game menu. Then select white circled numbers on the board to take them as your own. The computer will respond by taking their factors.

For more details, click the Game Play, Menus, or Strategies tabs above.

Playing Factor Mania!

When you begin the game, you see a list of numbers from one to a user defined limit. By clicking on a white circled number, it turns green and you gain that many points. The computer player turns all of the number's factors red and gains the sum of their values.

For instance, if you choose 10, you will gain 10 points, and the computer will turn 1, 2 and 5 red, gaining 8 points.

You cannot select a number if it has already been taken or if all its factors have been taken. After you cannot make any more moves, the computer takes all the remaining numbers. The object of Factor Mania! is to score more points than the computer player.

File Menu
High Scores – Displays a window showing who achieved the highest score for each level.
Sound – Turns sound effects on and off.
Messages – Turns play messages on and off.
Exit – Exits Factor Mania! (or closes this browser tab).

Game Menu
Restart Level – Starts a new game in the current level.
Level 1–10 – Creates levels with the specified number of numbers, such as 1–10 or 1–100.
Other Size – Lets you choose your own level size.

Help Menu
Directions – Displays Factor Mania Help.
About Factor Mania! – Shows information about this game.

#1: Go for primes and perfect squares.
Begin each game by choosing the largest prime number you can. Squares of prime numbers (like 25 or 49) are also often good moves.

#2: Claim numbers on the bottom row.
Larger numbers contribute many points. Try to claim a few key large numbers near the end of the board rather than dozens of small ones.

#3: Choose numbers with one open factor.
Try not to give the computer several factors for each number you select. Before you choose, see how many factors are still white and try to leave the computer only one new number.

Registration

In the original 1990s version of Factor Mania!, this screen explained how to register the shareware version and receive bonus levels and updates.

This web recreation is free to play – no registration required – but you can still compete for the High Scores table!