On his mysterious island, Dr. Quandary entices you with mind-boggling traps and puzzles. The only way to escape The Secret Island of Dr. Quandary is to use your math and logic skills, mental stamina and wit. With the secret island of Dr. Quandary, be forewarned: Dr. Quandary is a clever yet mischievous puzzle master who will do everything in his power to thwart your intelligence and reasoning. Determination and mastery is your key to survival with the secret island of Dr. Quandary.
Smart Kids Software's description of the game
The Secret Island of Dr. Quandary was the alpha and the omega of fifth grade for me. Just about every day, my friend Conor and I would forge a pass from our teacher and sneak off to the computer lab, where we would spend hours trying to conquer this 256-color puzzle-and-riddle game. Though not many people I talk to these days seem to know it, it is a staple educational program installed on the computers of grade schools across America. It's for Macs.
The "inventory-based adventure game" starts out with a visit to a carnival, where a weird game tender (guess who!) entices you to play shoot-the-Troggle. If you win, your prize is a trip to his crazy island: trapped in the body of the eerie doll, you must use your intelligence and mouse-clicking dexterity to gather the ingredients for the special elixir that will transport you home. Puzzles galore and cryptic messages about things to come hooked my eleven-year-old brain and I very quickly became determined to beat the game. It had even been rumored that in the time the game had been on the computer lab's workstations, no one had ever beaten it: Conor and I had to be the first.
It was full of all types of puzzles. There is an adaptation of the Tower of Hanoi using tires, a couple algebraic puzzles, anagrams, a few arcade-style educationless games thrown in to keep the kids from thinking that they're learning, and more.
The game is recommended for grades three through twelve, and is still available. They've also made a Windows version. And in the end, Conor and I did beat it.
References:
Smart Kids Software: http://www.smartkidssoftware.com/cdmcc17.htm | 
