Article summary

Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training: "How Old Is Your Brain?" is the latest Japanese phenomenon on Nintendo DS - and now it's hitting Europe! If you're bored of playing games that don't stretch your brain cells and you'd like to give your grey matter an extensive workout, pick up this program. The tests have been devised in cooperation with Dr. Kawashima himself, a renowned neuroscientist. With Brain Training you can train both your mental awareness and your memory. Hold the DS vertically, like a book, and write your answers with the stylus on the touch screen. The exercises are quick challenges that help stimulate your brain. There's a combination of arithmetic, reading and memory tests, and the program calculates your score in the form of a 'brain age' by assessing the speed and accuracy by which you perform these simple tasks. The title has sold over 1.4 million copies in Japan and is hugely popular with young and old alike. And that's hardly surprising - because playing regularly for just a few minutes a day has been found to stimulate parts of the brain related to thinking, creativity and concentration. So if you want to tone your intellectual muscle, Brain Training is a fine way to get started!

In a nutshell:
The portable phenomenon that has taken Japan by storm finally hits the UK. Part puzzle game, part self improvement tool this is the only game that’s both lots of fun and good for you – and that’s before you even start on Sudoku!

The lowdown:
Nothing about this game is ordinary, from the price to the way you hold the DS while playing it (vertically, as if you were reading a book). The basic idea is that you play through a series of puzzles each day, for about 10 minutes, and at the end of each session the "age" of your brain is calculated. The puzzles themselves range from simple maths questions to spot the difference, memorisation and comprehension. All of the answers are inputted either by drawing the answer on the touchscreen or speaking it into the DS’s in-built microphone. There’s also a multiplayer mode for up to 15 people where you can try and compete to record the youngest brain age.

Most exciting moment:
A brand new addition to the game, not included in the Japanese version, is a special DS version of Sudoku. This works great on the DS’s touch screen and is worth the already low price of admission on its own.

Since you ask:
A sister title to Brain Training, named Big Brain Academy, is due for release in July and offers to "weigh" your brain and improve specific skills such as memorisation and analysis. A direct sequel to Brain Training has also been released in Japan but is not yet scheduled for released in the UK.

The bottom line:
The only game that really is for the whole family – from kids to OAPs.
Harrison Dent

Customer's review

Brain training review

This game is excellent fun to start with however I find some of the activities increadibly tedious. However for this price I would recomend this product.

Good idea, pity it didn't turn out better

This was the first game me and my sister bought (we went halfers on it) and i have to say we were excited abut it. First, let me say, in my opinion, is good about it...
1) The variety of puzzles: I liked how many different puzzles were in here, especially the maths puzzles (i ot down to 15 seconds for 30 and 45 for 100) and did see a big improvement on my maths. The clock challenge makes you think, but my personal favourite is sudoku. Before, i couldn't get into it, now i love it and i look forward playing to it.
2) The tests: the tests you take beofre you start and during your progress, although you have to enter it manually, and think that it would have been better if test were done in timed intervals.

Now for the bad points...
1) Voice recognision/ writing- IT IS USELESS! For some, it picks it up, but as for the word "yellow" and the number "6" it is opeless! I've even tried to follow the advice but it still doesn't recognise them, which makes the voice calculations challenge useless! I like the reading chapters element, but again, it marked me down because it didn't pick up some of the words. This also applies to the writing. Numbers are not reognised, which leads to false times being recorded and having to write the same thing over and over again! And what's ith the "drawing three things and compairing" part? Hav you noticed the difference etween his and your drawings? They make you feel really bad and pathetic, even if your an artist, like my sister! No way can anyone achieve the same picture quality using a stylus- it's impossible!
2) The doctor himself- how annoying can one "person" get? He repeats the same bits of advice over and over, and his "surprise" look is even worse, and seemed patronising to me!

I used to play it every day, and will admit it did help a little, but when i had unlocked everything, it became repetative and boring, especially when the same puzzles in each category were being repeated! I was remembering the answers, which i'm sure you're not supposed to do. It was fun for a while, but me and my sister haven't touched the dailey play for a good 6 months, but i'm still playing the sudoku from time to time, which remains as challenging, although is it really a good idea to let players play the same set of grids again? I understand the time is recorded but still, there are those who will just cheat and memorise it until it's done in a matter of seconds.

Overall, not a bad first title to own as it does get you used to the microphone and the touch screen, but for those who have played other games, i'd void. It's a good idea that hasn't been put together right and ended up being second rate. If i wasn't sharing it with my sister, this would have been traded a while ago.

Really bad character and voice recognition

The character recognition is dire - enter a 1 then a 2 with an obvious gap between for 12 and it sees a 4 ! Enter a 1 and a 3 and it interprets a 9. It frequently fails to recognise Yellow (the only 2 syllable colour in the game and it interprets as Red). Most software lets you adjust for your own voice - this does not. You cannot correct wrong scores. I am now aware that the Brain Training has been panned on BBCs Watchdog - I wish I had seen it. VERY VERY FRUSTRATINGDr Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain? (Nintendo DS)

mental exercise is fun

If you are looking for a game that gives your brain some stimulation, then this is for you. It is simply addictive because you are challenged to beat your previous best. When you record a flyer ( best record ) a train goes by and the game creator gives you emphatic praise.

There is a number challenge (for example) involving people walking in and out of a house. You have to count the number of people coming and going and estimate how many are left in the house. Simple? You should try it. I managed to get two right out of five. I was disappointed with my first effort but I was rewarded with a Train!

Give this a go. You will not be disappointed.