Quarky & Quaysoo’s Turbo Science

Last updated: January 22, 2026

Overview

Quarky & Quaysoo’s Turbo Science is an educational puzzle game developed by Jeff Tunnell Productions and released by Sierra On-Line in 1992 as part of the Sierra Discovery Series.¹ The game was designed for children ages 9-14 and uses an innovative quiz-race format to teach scientific concepts covering energy, chemistry, magnetism, optics, and air and water pressure.² With its tagline “Look out! You’re Surrounded By Science!!”, the game aimed to make learning science entertaining through colorful characters and competitive gameplay.³

The game features two space “elfs” named Quarky (green) and Quaysoo (yellow) O’Ghandi, who hail from New Delhi, India.⁴ As members of the team Los Turbos, players compete against rival teams in an intergalactic racing competition that tests scientific knowledge rather than reflexes.⁵ The objective is to win a series of races and climb the ranks, progressing from “Squid” to “Turbo Science Champ” by correctly answering science questions to earn money and advance through checkpoints.⁶

Described as “‘edutainment’ at its best” by reviewers, Quarky & Quaysoo’s Turbo Science represented designer Jeff Tunnell’s approach to educational gaming.⁷ The game included over 2,300 questions and experiments, along with a substantial 150-page Research Guide that served as a reference textbook for players.³ This comprehensive approach to education, combined with the game’s quirky humor and colorful presentation, made it a notable entry in Sierra’s educational software lineup.

Game Info

Developer: Jeff Tunnell Productions¹ Designer: Jeffrey Tunnell⁶ Publisher: Sierra On-Line¹ Engine: Dynamix Game Development System (DGDS)⁶ Platforms: DOS¹ Release Year: 1992 Series: Sierra Discovery Series³ Protagonist: Quarky O’Ghandi / Quaysoo O’Ghandi Sierra Lineage: Sierra Discovery Series

Story Summary

In the world of Quarky & Quaysoo’s Turbo Science, the title characters are cosmic siblings—Indian-originated space elfs named Quarky O’Ghandi (depicted in green) and his sister Quaysoo (depicted in yellow).⁴ The siblings have organized a racing team called Los Turbos to compete in the prestigious Turbo Science Championship, an intergalactic competition that will once and for all resolve the dispute over the title of the best scientist in the universe.⁸

Los Turbos faces off against three formidable rival teams: Das Liquidators, Cool City Maulers, and Valiant Cube.⁵ Each team brings their own strengths to the competition, but Los Turbos distinguishes itself through scientific knowledge rather than raw speed or brute force. The races take place across various locations, each themed around different scientific disciplines where players must demonstrate their understanding of physics, chemistry, and other subjects.⁹

The competition is hosted and narrated by Paco de Suave, a charismatic television personality who guides players through the tournament.¹⁰ Various colorful characters appear throughout the game to present scientific concepts, including Sheik Oil Slick, who teaches players about energy-related topics.² The game’s setting combines humor with education, creating an unexpected and quirky atmosphere that reviewers noted made up for the straightforward quiz format.⁷

As players progress through the championship, they work to accumulate winnings and upgrade their transportation methods, ultimately striving to defeat all rival teams and claim the title of Turbo Science Champ.⁶ The narrative framework, while simple, provides motivation for players to engage with increasingly challenging scientific questions across multiple difficulty levels.

Gameplay

Interface and Controls

Quarky & Quaysoo’s Turbo Science uses a point-and-click interface controlled entirely by mouse, making it accessible for its target audience of children ages 8-14.⁶ The game employs Sierra’s Dynamix Game Development System (DGDS) engine, which was also used in other educational titles from the company.¹¹ Players navigate menus, select answers, and interact with the game world through simple mouse clicks, removing any barrier to entry for younger players unfamiliar with keyboard controls.

The game presents questions in a multiple-choice format, with players selecting their answers from several options displayed on screen.⁹ A built-in textbook system allows players to access the 145-page reference material directly within the game, providing resources to research answers before responding.¹⁰ This integration of educational materials with gameplay encourages learning rather than simple guessing.

Structure and Progression

Turbo Science is at heart a quiz-race game that combines educational content with competitive progression.¹² Players choose to play as either Quarky or Quaysoo at the start, with both characters offering identical gameplay experiences—an inclusive design choice for the era.¹² The game features 21 total races spread across 3 difficulty levels, allowing players to gradually increase the challenge as their scientific knowledge improves.¹²

The racing structure works as follows:

• Beginner Races: Introduction to basic scientific concepts with straightforward questions
• Intermediate Races: More complex questions requiring deeper understanding
• Advanced Races: Challenging questions covering the full range of scientific topics

Players earn money by answering questions correctly: $700forstandardcorrectanswersand$1,500 for bonus questions, while incorrect answers result in a $200penalty.{[}^{r}ef-12]Themaximummoneyaplayercanaccumulateis$9,999.¹² This currency is used to purchase faster transportation methods to gain advantages in races.

Puzzles and Mechanics

The core mechanic involves answering science questions to earn money for moving between checkpoints in each race.⁵ Questions are presented at two difficulty levels, covering topics including simple machines, chemistry, optics, energy, magnetism, and air and water pressure.² The game contains over 2,300 questions and experiments, ensuring substantial replay value and comprehensive coverage of scientific concepts.³

Players can choose from five different transportation methods, each with varying prices and speeds.⁵ Strategic decisions about when to upgrade transportation versus saving money add a layer of resource management to the educational content. Different “stops” throughout each race feature specific scientific themes where players answer questions relevant to that discipline.⁴

The game’s approach combines several educational strategies:

• Direct Questioning: Multiple-choice science questions test knowledge
• Reference Integration: The included Research Guide provides answers and explanations
• Progressive Difficulty: Questions scale to challenge improving players
• Reward Systems: Monetary incentives encourage correct answers

Reception

Contemporary Reviews

Upon release, Quarky & Quaysoo’s Turbo Science received positive attention from educational software reviewers. The Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Guide Book, authored by Joanne and Stephanie Oppenheim in 1993, recommended the game for children aged 9 years and older, praising its “fun science problems” that effectively taught concepts including energy, chemistry, magnetism, and air and water pressure.²

The game was described as “a pleasant surprise by master puzzler Jeff Tunnell” and praised as “‘edutainment’ at its best.”⁷ Reviewers noted that “Quarky & Quaysoo’s Turbo Science has a really funny setting and story which make up for the rather dry questioning style,” acknowledging both the game’s strengths in presentation and its limitations as a quiz-based learning tool.⁷

One reviewer posed the rhetorical question “Who knew that science could be so much fun?”, highlighting the game’s success in making educational content engaging.⁶ The game’s combination of humor, colorful characters, and scientific content was consistently praised as an effective approach to educational gaming for its era.

Modern Assessment

Modern retrospective assessments of Quarky & Quaysoo’s Turbo Science remain generally positive, particularly among those who played it during childhood. On MyAbandonware, user Pearlite described the game as “quirky, unexpected, and has a lot to explore,” giving it a rating of 5/5.¹³ The site shows the game has received 14 user votes with a perfect 5/5 average rating.¹³

Aggregate Scores:

• Abandonware DOS: 3.90/5.00¹
• MobyGames: 76%⁶
• MyAbandonware: 5/5 (14 votes)¹³
• Old-Games.com: 4/5⁷
• GameSpot User Average: 9.2¹⁴
• GamePressure User Rating: 5.5/10⁸

The game has achieved a notable following on GOG.com’s wishlist system, accumulating 264 votes from users requesting its re-release on the digital platform.¹⁵ This indicates continued interest in the title from retro gaming enthusiasts despite its educational focus.

Development

Origins

Quarky & Quaysoo’s Turbo Science emerged from Jeff Tunnell Productions, a development studio founded by Jeff Tunnell after his work with Dynamix.¹⁶ Tunnell, who would later become known for The Incredible Machine series, applied his talent for creative puzzle design to the educational software market with this title.⁸ The game was created as part of Sierra’s Discovery Series, a lineup of educational titles targeting children that Sierra published between 1991 and 1993.¹⁷

The development team worked in conjunction with an award-winning team of educators to ensure the scientific content was both accurate and age-appropriate.³ This collaboration between game designers and educational professionals was essential to creating a product that would effectively teach science concepts while remaining entertaining enough to hold children’s attention.

Production

The game was developed using the Dynamix Game Development System (DGDS), a proprietary engine also employed in other Sierra educational and adventure titles.¹¹ This engine choice allowed the development team to create a visually appealing game with animated characters and interactive elements while maintaining reasonable system requirements for early 1990s home computers.

Production involved creating over 2,300 questions and experiments covering multiple scientific disciplines.³ The team also developed a 150-page Research Guide (some sources cite 100+ pages or 145 pages) that accompanied the game, serving as both a reference manual and educational textbook.¹⁰ This substantial supplementary material required coordination between writers, educators, and designers to ensure accuracy and accessibility.

Development Credits:⁶

• Game Designer: Jeffrey Tunnell
• Composers: Christopher Stevens, Timothy Steven Clarke, Ken Rogers

Technical Achievements

Quarky & Quaysoo’s Turbo Science represented a competent implementation of Sierra’s DGDS engine technology for educational purposes.⁶ The game featured colorful VGA graphics appropriate for its target audience, with character designs that appealed to children while remaining visually distinct enough to convey their personalities.⁴

The game’s database of over 2,300 questions represented a significant content achievement, ensuring that players could return to the game multiple times without exhausting the available questions.³ The two-tiered difficulty system for questions allowed the game to adapt to different knowledge levels, extending its useful lifespan as an educational tool.

Technical Specifications

DOS Version:⁸

• Processor: Intel 286 minimum
• RAM: 640 KB
• Graphics: VGA
• Input: Mouse
• Media: 3.5” Floppy Disk⁶

System Requirements (PCGamingWiki):¹¹

• Operating System: DOS 6.22
• CPU: Intel i386
• RAM: 640 KB
• Graphics: VGA

File Sizes:

• Internet Archive version: 12.7 MB⁵
• MyAbandonware version: 3 MB¹³
• Old-Games.com versions: 3.33 MB / 4.51 MB⁷
• Collection Chamber version: 59.3 MB (install size: 92.2 MB)³
• Old Games Download version: 5.3 MB¹⁸

For modern emulation, the recommended DOSBox settings include CPU cycles of approximately 10,000 for optimal performance.¹²

Version History

Version	Date	Platform	Notes
1.0	1992	DOS	Initial release1
—	1993	DOS	Additional distribution13

Sources vary slightly on the exact release year, with most citing 1992¹ and some indicating early 1992² or 1993 for subsequent releases.¹⁶

Easter Eggs and Trivia

The game features several notable design choices and quirky elements:

• Character Origins: The main characters Quarky and Quaysoo O’Ghandi are described as “Indian-originated space elfs” from New Delhi, India—an unusual cultural representation for a 1990s educational game.⁴
• Team Names: The rival teams have humorous names: Das Liquidators, Cool City Maulers, and Valiant Cube.⁵
• Character Selection: Players can choose between playing as either Quarky or Quaysoo, an inclusive design feature.¹²
• Educational Characters: Sheik Oil Slick teaches energy-related concepts, continuing the game’s pun-based character naming.²
• Television Host: Paco de Suave serves as the game’s television personality and narrator.¹⁰

Legacy

Sales and Commercial Impact

While specific sales figures for Quarky & Quaysoo’s Turbo Science are not available in historical records, the game was part of Sierra’s broader push into educational software during the early 1990s. The Sierra Discovery Series represented the company’s attempt to capture the growing educational software market alongside their established adventure game business.³

The game was bundled with substantial educational materials, including its comprehensive Research Guide, which added value for parents purchasing educational software for their children.¹⁰ This approach of including physical reference materials was common for educational titles of the era and helped justify the purchase price to parents.

Collections

Quarky & Quaysoo’s Turbo Science was released as part of the Sierra Discovery Series alongside other educational titles.³ The game was also associated with a “Turbo Learning” series that included Turbo Learning: Mega Math, suggesting Sierra’s intent to create a branded line of educational products.¹⁶

The game has not been re-released on modern digital distribution platforms such as GOG or Steam,¹⁵ though significant community interest exists for such a re-release as evidenced by GOG wishlist votes.

Fan Projects

The game maintains a presence in the retro gaming community primarily through preservation efforts. Multiple abandonware sites host the game for download, ensuring its continued availability for educational and nostalgic purposes.¹ The Internet Archive hosts playable versions of the game in browser emulation.⁵

A speedrunning community exists for the game on Speedrun.com, with detailed guides available for optimal completion strategies.¹² This represents an unusual intersection of educational gaming and competitive speedrunning culture.

Related Publications

• Research Guide: A 100-150 page information book covering science topics including simple machines, chemistry, optics, and energy, included with the game⁴
• Quarky & Quaysoo’s Turbo Science: Research Guide: Available as a separate publication (ASIN: B000I1AV7S), weighing approximately 227g/8 ounces¹⁹

Critical Perspective

Quarky & Quaysoo’s Turbo Science represents an interesting artifact of the early 1990s educational software boom, when major game publishers like Sierra saw significant market potential in software aimed at children and parents concerned about the educational value of computer time. The game’s approach—combining quiz-based learning with a racing framework and quirky characters—exemplifies the “edutainment” philosophy of making learning feel like play.⁷

Jeff Tunnell’s involvement lends the game additional historical significance. As the creator who would later develop The Incredible Machine series, Tunnell demonstrated an aptitude for designing games that made complex systems accessible and entertaining.⁸ Quarky & Quaysoo’s Turbo Science, while more straightforward than his physics-puzzle masterwork, shows early signs of his design philosophy emphasizing accessibility and engagement.

The game’s cultural details—featuring Indian-American space elf protagonists—were relatively unusual for educational software of its era, though the execution combined cultural elements in ways that might seem dated by modern standards.⁴ Nevertheless, the game’s continued presence in abandonware collections and speedrunning communities suggests it achieved its goal of creating memorable educational experiences for a generation of young players.

Downloads

Download / Preservation

• Internet Archive – DOS Version
• Internet Archive – Alternative
• MyAbandonware
• ClassicReload – Browser Playable
• Old-Games.com
• Abandonware DOS

Community Resources

• GOG Wishlist – Community request for re-release (264 votes)
• Speedrun.com Guide

Series Continuity

Quarky & Quaysoo’s Turbo Science was developed as part of Sierra’s Discovery Series, a lineup of educational games published between 1991 and 1993.¹⁷ The game was also connected to a “Turbo Learning” series that included Turbo Learning: Mega Math, suggesting a planned franchise of educational titles using the “Turbo” branding.¹⁶

Other titles in the Sierra Discovery Series during this period included educational adventures developed by various Sierra subsidiaries, including Bright Star Entertainment.¹⁷ The Discovery Series represented Sierra’s attempt to expand beyond their core adventure game audience to capture the educational software market that was growing rapidly as more families acquired home computers.

Jeff Tunnell Productions developed the game during the studio’s operation between 1992 and 2000, a period that also saw the creation of other educational and puzzle titles before Tunnell’s later success with The Incredible Machine.¹⁶

References

Footnotes

1. Abandonware DOS – Quarky & Quaysoo’s Turbo Science – release date, developer, publisher, platform, user rating ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸

2. Wikipedia – Quarky & Quaysoo’s Turbo Science – Oppenheim review, science topics, educational content, release date ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

3. Collection Chamber – Quarky & Quaysoo’s Turbo Science – box tagline, target age, question count, Research Guide, educator involvement ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰

4. Internet Archive – Quarky & Quaysoo’s Turbo Science (1992) Alternative – character descriptions, science topics, game features, Research Guide ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

5. Internet Archive – MS-DOS Version – character origins, team names, gameplay mechanics, file size ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

6. MobyGames – Quarky & Quaysoo’s Turbo Science – designer, composers, engine, technical specs, rating, gameplay description ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰

7. Old-Games.com – Quarky & Quaysoo’s Turbo Science – reviews, rating, file sizes, developer credits ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

8. GamePressure – Quarky & Quaysoo’s Turbo Science – release date, system requirements, user rating, game description ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

9. ClassicReload – Quarky & Quaysoo’s Turbo Science – gameplay mechanics, character details, transportation options ↩ ↩²

10. PlayClassic Games – Quarky & Quaysoo’s Turbo Science – Paco de Suave character, textbook page count, character origins ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

11. PCGamingWiki – Quarky & Quaysoo’s Turbo Science – engine, system requirements, series information ↩ ↩² ↩³

12. Speedrun.com – Turbo Science Guide – gameplay mechanics, race count, money system, emulation settings ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

13. MyAbandonware – Quarky & Quaysoo’s Turbo Science – user reviews, ratings, file size, release dates ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

14. GameSpot – Quarky & Quaysoo’s Turbo Science – user rating, genre classification ↩

15. GOG Wishlist – Quarky & Quaysoo’s Turbo Science – community interest, wishlist votes ↩ ↩²

16. Sierra Fandom Wiki – Jeff Tunnell Productions – development studio history, release date variant ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

17. The Adventure Gamer – Pepper’s Adventures in Time – Sierra Discovery Series context, development era ↩ ↩² ↩³

18. Old Games Download – Quarky & Quaysoo’s Turbo Science – file size, basic information ↩

19. Amazon – Quarky & Quaysoo’s Turbo Science Research Guide – publication details, weight ↩