Play Math Rescue online — the shareware episode Works — shareware episode runs via DOSBox in your browser
Guide updated November 2026 · Runs via DOSBox + WebAssembly
Math Rescue is the 1992 educational platformer by Karen Crowther's Redwood Games, published by Apogee. Creatures called Gruzzles have stolen the world's numbers, and you win them back by solving arithmetic problems while a helpful butterfly drops slime on anything that gets in your way. The official shareware episode is hosted here — click Play and it boots in your browser.
D-pad: move · JUMP: Ctrl · SLIME: Alt · ENTER/ESC: menus
⌨ Keyboard — for menus & name entry
Controls — what does what
| Action | Keyboard | Mouse / touch |
|---|---|---|
| Move | Arrow keys | — |
| Jump | Ctrl | — |
| Menu / back | Esc | — |
| Sound | — | Use the Sound button under the screen to mute |
Runs in your browser tab with DOSBox + WebAssembly — nothing is uploaded. Click the screen to capture input; press Ctrl+F10 to release mouse.
Math Rescue shareware is freely distributable under the VENDOR.DOC included in the package. The registered game is commercial and not hosted here. Provenance: /apps/math-rescue/NOTICE.md.
Get the full game
The shareware release plays here free. The rest of Math Rescue was the registered, commercial release. Check whether a store carries it today:
How it works & what to expect
The original DOS shareware release runs inside a WebAssembly build of DOSBox. It is under 400 KB and loads at once. It runs at full speed on any device, including school Chromebooks.
Playing it
Choose a boy or a girl and a difficulty level; the levels set which kinds of problems appear, from simple addition up to multiplication and division, including word problems. Arrow keys move and Ctrl jumps. Touch a number to get a problem, answer it, and collect the answers to open the exit.
Shareware version — and the full game
This is the first episode, released as shareware under the VENDOR.DOC in the package. The other episodes are the registered game and are not hosted here.
Frequently asked questions
Is it legal to play Math Rescue here?
Yes. This is the official shareware episode, which Apogee's VENDOR.DOC allows to be passed on without charge.
What ages is it for?
It was made for primary-school children. The difficulty setting changes the arithmetic from simple sums to multiplication, division and word problems.
Does it work on a school Chromebook?
Yes. Nothing is installed and the game is light enough for any Chromebook.
More you can play in your browser
Related guides
- Word RescueThe 1992 reading platformer from Apogee, shareware episode.
- Number MunchersThe classroom maths classic.
- Commander KeenMarooned on Mars: the shareware episode that made id Software.
- SudokuEndless generated puzzles, five difficulty levels.
- Run your own DOS gameHave the registered version or another DOS game? Drop it in the DOS player.
- Games that need nothing installedThe full list of titles that run on a locked-down school or work network.
Want a game like this on your own site?
Math Rescue isn't ours to give away — we host it, we didn't write it. But eleven of the games here we did write from scratch, and those are free for anyone to put on their own page: one line of HTML, no account, no permission, no attribution beyond a credit line.