The bane of many students and parents alike is math homework. Difficulty finding and applying and solving the correct formula, concept or equation is heightened by often vaguely understood principles or approaches. Enter Microsoft Math 3.0 (****), a well-organized, comprehensive set of tools to help with math learning and homework.

The program includes these aides: step-by-step solutions to problems from pre-algebra to calculus; triangle solver to clarify the relations between sides and angles, including formulas and solutions; unit conversion for length, area, weight, temperature, energy, velocity and more; on-screen graphing calculator; handwriting support for tablet or mobile PCs and graphics tablets; a handy formula and equations library containing more than 100 formulas and equations for math, physics, chemistry, constants and more.

Microsoft Math contains a wealth of useful and helpful material and includes links to Encarta’s on-line math tutorials.

Dream Day First Home ( *** out of four) is new game that offers seek-and-find activities with a choice of two types of homes as background. The game is similar to the previous ones that were based on wedding day and honeymoon themes and that surpassed 15 million downloads.

Dream Day starts as newlyweds Jenny and Robert have to choose between two types of homes to buy. You play the game as Jenny and select either a gracious Victorian home or a 1930’s craftsman style home for the background.

You play the game by looking at a room that’s filled with objects that are strewn everywhere. You have a list of objects to find and a limited amount of time to find them. Some objects are obvious, some hidden, but they’re all displayed with colorful backgrounds that carry out the theme of the type of home you’ve chosen. When you find an object, it’s crossed off the list; find all the objects on the list in the time allotted, and you can move on to the next room. There’s limited help in finding objects if you need it (in the form of a bird that flies around the room and points to the object).

When you find all the objects on the list (or run out of time), you move on to another room and another list of objects. After completing the list from a few rooms, you are given a different type of game to play, such as a matching game.

Hidden in two homes are more than 2,800 hidden objects, 36 seek-and-find backgrounds, and 50 levels of play, so there’s plenty of activity to keep you engaged for a long time.

The backgrounds are colorful, and the game plays easily. The games includes some redecorating and shopping and a chance to see the "before and after" look of each room after you move through the game.

From Oberon Games, www.oberongames.com, Windows 2000/XP/Vista, Free 60 minute trial download, $19.95 purchase.

Agatha Christie Peril at End House (*** out of four) follows Hercule Poirot, Christie’s celebrated detective, as he attempts to solve another of his famous mysteries--with your help, of course. In this newest of the causal Agatha Christie "seek-and-yee-shall-find" gaming series, Poirot travels to a small English village, where the owner of a cursed seaside manor known as End House has had several attempts made on her life and has asked Poirot to help in finding the would-be assassin.

The game takes place in the 1930's, complete with appropriate clothing, decorations and furnishings. You, as Poirot, have to search the town for physical clues and meet the inhabitants; you then gather information about them and try to assess guilt or innocence. Searching is done in several areas, such as End House and its gardens, seashore, police station and others. These are depicted in a colorful though somewhat cluttered configuration, complete with many objects--some obvious, others not so. Most are appropriate to the era, but some are rather curious, such as an elephant standing on the deck of a fishing boat in the harbor.

In each area you are given a list of objects to find within an allotted time. Some objects can be moved, such as placing stones in a box of sand, to complete the list. Some objects become clues in the mystery, such as a frayed cord holding a heavy picture over the victim’s bed, or a hat with a bullet hole in it. You can leave an area and come back to it later if you start to get cross-eyed staring at the scene so long, but then you’ll be presented with a new list of objects.

The individual areas to explore for clues are grouped, and you must successfully complete each group to go on. If you fail at any area you have to restart the group. The groups are separated by comic-book-like cut scenes that provide additional information for your investigation. If you get stuck, you’re granted five hints (arrows pointing to the object) for the entire game. These hints should be used wisely. And, if you click too often and too randomly, you’re docked time on the clock.

Every so often you are presented with a bonus mini-game, such as reassembling a torn newspaper article, that provides additional clues. Eventually you must organize the clues kept for you in the clue room to pinpoint the would-be assassin.

The game plays easily and is colorful and appealing. Although occasionally frustrating, this game does provide a different approach to a famous murder-mystery adventure.

From Oberon Games, www.oberongames.com, Windows 2000/XP/Vista, Free 60 minute trial download, $19.95 purchase.