by Dale Farris, Secretary
Golden Triangle PC Club
May 2002

Game Overview

Invention Highway is a super program designed to stimulate creative, innovative thinking skills for ages 9-99. While focused on children, don't let this snazzy program fool you into thinking it is ONLY for kids. In fact, all ages can benefit from playing with and learning from this game.

Note:  The program is available in 2 versions, including the Professional Edition, and the Family Edition. The Professional Edition contains additional material relating the ASIT method of learning, the basis for the game, into the business environment.

This simulation game is based on the Advanced Structured Inventive Thinking (ASIT) method of learning that is actively being learned by employees in many companies around the world, including Ford, Motorola, and Intel. ASIT is also being implemented in several universities around the world.

In 1980, when Dr. Roni Horowitz was studying aeronautical engineering, he became interested in finding an effective creative thinking method that would help him achieve his goals. After reading many books on and taking courses in creativity, he came across the "Systematic Inventive Thinking" course 13 years ago. The course taught a method called "TRIZ" and he enrolled.

He loved the concept and was amazed by the creative solutions it helped him find. When he later started teaching TRIZ, he noticed ways in which TRIZ could be improved to become even more powerful and much easier to learn. He then decided to dedicate his Ph.D. studies to improving and simplifying TRIZ, and the result is ASIT, Advanced Systematic Inventive Thinking.

What defines ASIT from other creative thinking methodologies is that it has been academically proven in empirical tests that have shown dramatic improvement in creatively solving problems. In addition, the technique is being used by leading companies such Ford, Intel, Motorola, and FedEx, and is a fully credited academic course at several universities. In addition, unlike brainstorming, lateral thinking, and mind mapping, ASIT is a highly structured, step-by-step method to alternative ways of thinking.

The theoretical basis of the ASIT method is used in "Invention Highway" as the basis on which the game is based. The four techniques integrated into the game include Unification, Multiplication, Division, and Breaking Unity.

Invention Highway investigates the results, or the creative “product,” in order to learn what characterizes it as different from all other thinking products that are not defined as creative. This creative product can take the form of a picture, invention, problem solution, or story. A good and original solution to a problem answers the following criterion:

1. It solves the problem completely.
2. It doesn’t require many resources.
3. It doesn’t involve negative side effects when used.
4. It is a solution that only a few will find.

The founder of this approach to creative thinking method is Gendrich Altshuller, a Russian engineer who became interested in the following question in the late 1940’s: How can one help engineers to find more creative solutions? His work in the patents office of the Soviet Navy exposed him to many creative engineering solutions which helped him a great deal in his research. Altshuller discovered that many creative solutions are characterized by a few principles, and he assumed that by learning and practicing these principles while looking at various creative solutions, the ability to produce more creative solutions to similar problems might increase immensely. The method he developed was called "TRIZ," an abbreviated Russian name, which translated means the "theory of inventive problem solving.”

Unification

The Unification technique directs the problem solver to find a new use for an existing component. Within the system of the closed world, as far as the problem components are concerned, one (or more) of the components may have a different function than that of its usual function.

Multiplication

Another technique that acts within the boundaries of the closed world is the multiplication technique. This is similar to the unification technique in that it also directs the solver of the problem towards a union between a component and an action. The main difference between multiplication and unification is that when using the multiplication technique, the chosen component does not exist in the way in which it is required to work in the system. It is therefore duplicated, and some changes are made to the duplicated copy.

Division

Similar to the multiplication technique, the division technique allows the solver of the problem to view an existing component from a new direction. The division technique directs the problem solver to break up the existing structure into its parts, and to then rearrange the parts in such a way that it will solve the problem.

Breaking Unity

The breaking unity technique directs the problem solver to identify situations of symmetry or unity and to change them into situations of asymmetry where the unity is broken. In ASIT, the three types of unity are unity among components, where there are a few identical components in the problem;  unity within components, where different parts of the components have identical properties, i.e. identical material, temperature, or color;  and unity in time, where a component does not change in time.

Theory Integrated Into the Program

These principles are deeply integrated into this super learning tool. For example, in The Prisoner game, the player has to figure out a way to keep a prisoner from constantly escaping from his cell. You see the screen with the characters and you have access to various objects you can click on and either activate or move. In addition, you have other tools the game provides, such as a rotate tool, copy tool, or expand. The prisoner constantly spits out his gum at the overhead light bulb, thus darkening the room, allowing him to escape. Using the division technique, the goal is to separate the light bulb from its light reflecting holder and put it in a place where the prisoner can’t reach it.

First you switch off the light by clicking on the switch on the wall behind the guard. Then you remove the light bulb from the reflector in the ceiling, and insert it into the table lamp next to the guard. Next you put the table lamp on the floor and connect it to the electricity, and then using the rotation tool, rotate the table lamp upwards so that the light from the bulb shines into the reflector in the ceiling and from there into the prisoner’s cell. So, now the prisoner thinks the light is coming from the light bulb, but when he attempts to spit out his gum and break the light bulb, his effort is finally foiled.

Simulation Games

In addition to the Prisoner Game, Invention Highway also challenges creative thinking with these following games.

Chess Game - Multiplication Technique
Wheel Game, Parts 1 and 2 - Unification and Division Techniques
Temperature Game - Multiplication Technique
Glasses Game - Division Technique
Scissors Game - Unification Technique
Mail Game - Multiplication Technique
Switches and Lights - Breaking Unity Technique
Tower Game - Multiplication Technique
Chain Game - Division Technique
Coin Game - Breaking Unity

How To Play

The program is made up of 12 simulated games and includes learning chapters relevant to each. A problem is presented in each game, and each of these problems can be solved using one the inventive thinking techniques or a combination of the techniques. At the start of each game, a short explanation of the problem will be presented in the form of a riddle, and you’ll be invited to try to solve it. The process of finding the solution to each of the riddles involves making choices. These choices include copying, moving, enlarging, reducing, or making changes to the objects, items or characters that appear on the screen.

To begin with, it’s important to clearly understand each of the problems in the game. If you’re not sure what needs to be solved in the problem, you can click on the TV to hear again briefly what you need to do. Once you’ve clearly understood the problem, click on all the objects on the screen to familiarize yourself with them and to learn their characteristics. You can also make various changes to the items, and you can choose items, move them, copy them to a different place, change the material of the items or characters, and more!

At each stage during the problem solving process, you can click on the Done button (located at the bottom right of the screen) to get positive or negative feedback about what you’ve changed or created so far. You should click on all the items on the screen to activate them, including those that appear to be less important to the problem solving process. Each time you click on either the Done or Reset button, the game will start from the beginning again, and any information or data that you acquired during the game up until that point will no longer be relevant and you will need to rediscover it.

You can stop the voice or action of any of the characters in the games by clicking on the left side of the mouse.

The Professor will accompany you throughout the program and will provide you with appropriate clues along the way according to the situation you are in. If you want to get an explanation about the tools, click on the Professor. After clicking on the Professor, the cursor will change into a question mark. Now you can click on any of the items on the screen to get an explanation about them.

After playing the game for a while, the Professor will suggest that you click on him to get help. If you click on the Professor to get help, a window will open and a flickering light bulb will appear. Click on the light bulb with the cursor to hear the clue. You can use the clues any time you want, and not just when it is suggested that you use them. In fact, whenever you click on the Professor, you’ll be provided with a clue. After playing the game further, the Professor will again suggest that you get help. A new clue will be added and another light bulb will appear.

If you click on the Professor and want to hear the previous clue in the clue window, just click on the light bulb that is not flickering. The clues will help you to arrive at the solution to the problem. The final clue is actually the solution to the problem. Therefore, when you click on the last clue, the Professor will suggest that you take a break to think about the problem, or that you click on the previous clue before getting the final clue.

There are three levels of difficulty in these games, and the more difficult the level, the more likely young players may need adult assistance in solving the scenarios.

ASIT Applied

Now available to the general public, this ASIT approach to creativity has been marvelously applied in this instructive, friendly, enjoyable, and effective simulation game. The game defines and uncovers, stage by stage, the key strategies and methods meant to invoke creative ideas and to overcome inherent mind sets that prevent most people from accessing inventive and creative solutions.

In the tests and experiments of the ASIT method, it has proven to be highly effective in enhancing inventive thinking and in developing problem solving strategies to provide creative results. The program provides you with a set of tools and powerful thinking strategies that will assist players in finding creative solutions.

Invention Highway is thus a unique computer game that stands apart from the countless other computer games that focus on merely trying to deceive, fool, trick, or frustrate players. Instead, in Invention Highway, the ASIT principles have been seamlessly integrated into these many fun challenging scenarios that are founded on a higher principle of aiding in stimulating the creativity of players, versus merely passing time in an entertaining manner.

ASIT Training

If you are interested, you can get more information about ASIT training, at www.invention-highway.com. The program, Start2Think, is the ASIT Premier course that costs only $29.00. ASIT Premier is a 70-minute multimedia course consisting of 15 chapters packed with ASIT theory and instructive case studies. On completion of the course you'll be able to start using ASIT to creatively solve your own problems or to help others solve theirs. Because ASIT is such a unique approach to creative thinking it requires an extraordinary medium to teach it. That's why only the best multimedia talents have been chosen and have worked for six months (enjoying every minute) to provide you with the course.

Game Features

Successfully tested and used by business
Techniques enhance creativity and inventive thinking
Based on the ASIT approach to creative thinking
Provides thinking strategies for creative solutions
Extensive user manual thoroughly explains technique and solvers
Colorful graphics
Zany characters
Super background sounds and sound effects
Easy, point-and-click interface
First-person perspective
Colorful background displays
Super integration of the ASIT technique into the computer game

Targeted Customers

This super game is targeted to young players, but be sure you remember that there is great value in this game for anyone. With its foundation based on empirical analysis of data related to creativity, and the significance of this particular technique, the ASIT methodology, this places Invention Highway into the realm of value for all educational institutions and in business. With the increased interest in increasing the creative skills of today's workforce, this program can stand as a learning tool for employers interested in setting up creativity training.

In schools and businesses, the program can be effectively used by individuals, but I suggest the program may have even greater value when teams are assigned to work on the simulation games. These challenging scenarios are not a snap to figure out, due to the traditional thinking that will be tripped up here, and the teams will likely find working together will more quickly enable them to figure out the particular ASIT technique being applied in the scenarios and then to implement these principles in the manner necessary to solve the problems.

While the company makes a point of indicating the approach of ASIT as an alternative to lateral thinking, in actuality I think these challenging problems do represent what I have learned in reading various books on lateral thinking. Using items in untraditional ways is but one example of the concept of lateral thinking, and these ideas are well integrated into this super game that is essential in all schools and in progressive thinking organizations.

Install and Setup

The installation and setup presented no difficulties on my machine. To run the program, you need the CD ROM disc in the drive.

Price

$30.00

Minimum System Configuration Requirements

P 90 processor or higher
Windows 95, 98, NT 4 and higher
16MB RAM
10MB free hard disk space
Sound card
8x CD-ROM drive, or faster

About Compedia Ltd

Established in 1988, Compedia Ltd. is one of the leading worldwide publishers and developers of enriching games for the whole family. Compedia teams have developed innovative projects in cooperation with Microsoft-TV, HP, and others into the CD-ROM, ITV and internet markets. They have developed dozens of titles that are available in over 20 languages, including Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Arabic and almost all European languages.

Their products have won dozens of awards and sold millions of units worldwide through leading distributors, including TDK (Japan), Samsung (Korea), Egmont (Scandinavia), Mondadori (Italy), and other leading distributors and publishers.

Contact Information

Sigal Crohn
Account Manager
Compedia Ltd.
10 Dov Friedman St
Ramat Gan 52141 Israel
00-972-3-751-0044
FAX 00-972-3-752-0469
mail@sigalc@compedia-usa.com
www.compedia-usa.com

You can also order from other retailers or online vendors.