Dr Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain?

You have to hand it to Nintendo for pushing the boundaries of gaming. Their latest stab at a non-game game, Dr Kawashima's Brain Training, is unique, fun and more than a little addictive. It may make you feel as dumb as a talkback show caller initially, but it quickly becomes addictive as you strive to beat your own results at the various brain teasers on offer.

Brain Training requires the use of the stylus and DS touch screen.

Brain Training is not your typical game in that there are no princesses to rescue, cars to jack or aliens to kill. Based on the work of Japanese neuroscientist Dr Ryuta Kawashima, the game is essentially a series of math, memory and word-based puzzles, all tied around the central premise that daily mental workouts can help prevent a person's brain from deteriorating (that is, getting dumber). Nintendo is aiming this title squarely at older people -- it even has quotes from the National Executive Director of Alzheimer's Australia plugging the game's merits on its official website.

As such, Brain Training doesn't utilise any of the Nintendo DS's normal game controls at all, with the stylus and its built-in microphone the key methods of interaction. Playing the game requires you to hold the DS on its side (like a book), with the left screen showing you the puzzles that need solving and the touch-sensitive right used to write answers (left-handed users never fear -- the game has a special setting for you). Some of the exercises are voice-based, which means you'll have to speak out loud to the DS. Skipping the control pad and buttons makes this game feel instantly more accessible for non-gamers.

The game's puzzles range from simple math equations and reading tests to more complex challenges. One test shows you a list of short words for three minutes, then asks you to write down as many as you can remember. Another gets you to read aloud the colours of text that appear on screen, with the game requiring you to concentrate as some words are a different colour to what they spell (the word blue may be coloured red, for example). In another test, you're shown people entering and leaving a house, with the player needing to keep count and write down how many are left after a minute has elapsed.

Players can either train by undertaking these exercises, or they can go through a mini-test to figure out their brain age. The test picks three random exercises, and calculates your brain age depending on your results. For the game's purposes, a brain age of 20 is considered the best -- the older your brain age, the worse it is.

If you're anything like the gang here at CNET.com.au, you'll probably end up recording a fairly old brain age the first time around (aside, of course, from CNET.com.au editor Pam Carroll, who blitzed the rest of the team with the youngest score). This will probably sting a lot of egos -- I know I was more than a little miffed when the game recorded a brain age more than double my actual one on my first attempt. But that smack to the system is where the appeal will lay for many players -- most of the fun in Brain Training comes from continually trying to better your own scores and times.

Most puzzles require quick thinking.

The game also does a good job of not outstaying its welcome. Only a few exercises are initially available, with more being unlocked depending on how many days you've played. Brain Training also only records your scores (both for brain age checks and individual exercises) once a day, although you can do the exercises as many times as you want. This makes Brain Training something you should only really play for about half an hour each day -- perfect for those with short attention spans.

While the exercises are varied, Brain Training could definitely use some more. After a few weeks of play, all of the exercises will be uncovered, making for a fair bit of repetition for the rest of your time with the game. On the plus side, Brain Training also has a cool extra -- dozens of Sudoku puzzles accessible from the main menu. The addictive puzzle game should help players kill even more spare time when not in proper Brain Training mode.

As good as the game's handwriting and voice recognition are, they're still not perfect. Brain Training will, on occasion, refuse to recognise numbers, letters or voice commands -- and it'll usually do this at critical times when you're trying to beat the clock. It can lead to some frustrating moments.

The game's presentation could also irk some people. Dr Kawashima is represented in the game as a sort of Japanese Max Headroom, always bobbing up to give advice or encouragement. Some of his comments can be a bit grating and patronising. But for the most part, the presentation is clean and bright.

Dr Kawashima's Brain Training has some faults, but its positives definitely outweigh it little quirks. We're not sure whether it can actually increase you brainpower, but Dr Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain? is a fun and addictive addition to the DS stable.

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