Christmas Math

Christmas Math is a quick arithmetic game with a festive coat of paint. The puzzles revolve around four operations, and the task each time is to select the correct one. The description defines an operation as a calculation that takes input values and produces an output value, so the job is to decide which operation connects the numbers in front of you.

Most players will know the basic four as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, and recognising them quickly is the skill being trained. Some cases are easy to tell apart; others take a moment of thought, because two operations can lead to similar-looking answers when the numbers are small.

The game does not stay slow. Its speed gradually increases, and the description openly says this is meant to confuse you, so a choice you made calmly at the start has to become almost automatic later. The Christmas theme keeps it light, which makes it a good seasonal warm-up for anyone practising mental maths.

1. Look at the numbers on the screen.
2. Work out which of the four operations connects them.
3. Select that operation as quickly as you can.
4. Keep choosing correctly as the game speeds up.

With small numbers, check multiplication against addition carefully: 2 and 2 give 4 either way, so look at every value before you choose.