Brain Age for DS Review

Games that get you thinking have only been around for a couple of years and Brain Age for DS is widely regarded as the original. Based on mental neuroscience, it is theorized that completing certain "brain exercises" can increase focus, concentration, and the ability to think fast. Reading a Brain Age for DS review will quickly reveal that it is still as popular as the day it was released, evidence by the fact that it is one of the top gifted items on Amazon. So get out your thinking caps (preferably fast thinking caps) and see what your brain age is…much like how your body's age is determined in Wii Fit.

The first thing you do when you boot up the game is to check your brain age. You do this once per day and it could range from 20 (the lowest you can get) to 45 or more, if you're having an off day.

There are three random tests that the game uses to figure this out. Most of the tests are timed tests to see how fast you can do certain things. For example, you may need to memorize a list of four-letter words in two minutes and then see how many you can write down in three minutes. Other tests have you speaking the color of certain words. The word "blue", for example, may be displayed in red font. After your three tests, the game calculates your age.

To get stamps and unlock more games, you must train your brain. Choose a test and then do it. Test topics range from math and memory to concentration and visual tests. Some of the tests include:

• Low to High: a set of numbers is shown for about two seconds. You then use the touch screen to tap the numbers in ascending order. You do this blind. As you are successful, more numbers are added.
• Calculations X 20. See how fast you can do 20 math problems. Addition, subtraction, and multiplication only. The problems aren't that hard, but you are going for speed. There is also a test where you do 100 math problems.
• Head Count. You start off with counting the number of people on the screen. A house drops down and hides them and then people leave and enter and you need to keep track of how many people are in the house after about ten seconds.

There are also a number of Sudoku puzzles you can complete. There are about 30 puzzles in each of the Easy, Intermediate, and Hard levels. Your goal is to complete them as fast as you can without making any mistakes. You are allowed five, but you are penalized 20 minutes per mistake. With some people interested in a Brain Age for DS review, the Sudoku part of the game almost warrants the purchase on its own.

Brain Age for DS is a good thinking game and a good game to pass a few minutes here and there. The graphics are smooth, but there's nothing that really pushes what the DS can do. The actual tests are unique and fun to do and the best part is that you might to well one day on a certain test, but not the next day. If you feel tired, your brain is probably tired and therefore it will show in the game. That may surprise you, but it is true.

If you don't train your brain every day, the tests are unlocked slower. Don't skip a day or you may not unlock a game for an entire week, which is frustrating because it does get boring playing the same five or six tests all the time.

Those into Sudoku will find the puzzles challenging enough to want to complete them all. For those and the regular Brain Age game, there is no end and no way to "win" by any traditional means. You can only try to beat your best time or have the record for that test, but sometimes that's all you need to feel good right?

The verdict of this Brain Age for DS review? If you're looking for a way to keep mentally sharp while having some fun along the way, this terrific Nintendo DS game just may be for you.

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