Difficulty levels

Difficulty levels, also sometimes referred to as skill levels, are a feature that appears in almost every JumpStart game and are typically accessed via the toolbar. Most games have three difficulty levels, and they can be set for each activity in the game. Some games segregate academic skill level and game play/speed level. In addition to being freely selected by the player, difficulty levels will adjust automatically depending on how well the player is doing.

A rather unusual system for difficulty levels can be found in JumpStart Learning Games series titles such as JumpStart Spelling, JumpStart Numbers and JumpStart Music. The player can choose their grade level (from Preschool to 3rd Grade) at the beginning of the game, and within that grade level, there are many more gradations of difficulty levels than just three.

JumpStart 1st Grade (1994)
Although this game lacks a toolbar, many activities feature an icon that looks like a gauge, which can be used to adjust the difficulty levels. Several activities, such as Music in the Mouse Hole, The Milk Cap Game, and Field Trips, don't feature difficulty levels.

JumpStart 2nd Grade
In this game, there are three levels: Scout (easiest), Explorer (moderate), and Trailblazer (hardest).

JumpStart Adventures 3rd Grade: Mystery Mountain
There are three difficulty levels.

JumpStart Adventures 4th Grade: Haunted Island
There are three difficulty levels.

JumpStart Pre-K
Each activity has three difficulty levels.

JumpStart Preschool (1999)
There are three difficulty levels for each activity, excluding Player Piano, which doesn't feature difficulty levels at all. The Wagon and Balls activity is the only activity to feature adjustable difficulty levels for both skill and gameplay.

JumpStart Adventure Challenge
The player will be prompted to choose a skill level each time they start an activity. The difficulty levels are titled beginner, intermediate, and expert.

JumpStart Spy Masters series
There are a total of six difficulty levels. The first two are designated as being for 3rd Grade, the third and fourth as being for 4th Grade, and the fifth and six as being for 5th Grade and above.

JumpStart Advanced series
An assessment test can be played before the game to set the difficulty levels to the player's skill.

Quotes

 * "This button is to make a game harder or easier to play." - Mr. Hopsalot in JumpStart Kindergarten (1998)