I recently bought my son a DS as 'all my friends have one so I need one too!!!!'
Since we got it I have slowly become addicted. Luckily my son is very kind and doesn't mind sharing!
One of my first purchases was 'Brain Training'.
I'm sure you have all heard of it by now as it has got to be the most widely known game for the DS, and probably the top selling game as well as every person I know with a DS has this game.
Basically, there are various exercises to complete, each one works a different part of the brain. There is:
Calculations - Either x20 or x100. You will see simple sums on the left screen, you then write the answer with the stylus on the right screen.
Reading aloud - The screens display an excerpt from a novel and you simply read the pages and click the screen when you have finished the page. This can be done aloud or in silence, it works either way.
Low to high - You will see between 4-7 numbers displayed in a pattern in boxes on the screen. It will flash on for a second, then you have to remember the numbers and click in the corresponding boxes on the right screen in order from smallest to largesat number.
Syllable count - You will see a sentence on the left hand screen, you then count the syllables and write the number on the right hand screen.
Head count - You will see a picture of a house and people walking in and out of it. You must keep track of how many people are in the house.
Triangle math - You have to add two sums then add the totals to find the answer, this is displayed in the shape of an upside down pyramid (hence the name!).
You can also do a quick start age test (great for friends as you don't have to add all of their details). This could be any tests chosen at random; these can be different tests to the training test. One test that comes up frequently is The 'stroop test'. This is where the name of a colour is written on the screen but it's in a different colour font. You have to say the colour, not the actual word.
If you are going to log in evberyday and take part in training you can save your personal data. Your name, age, etc. You can then track your progress and try and improve your brain age.
This is a great game although it is flawed. The screen can be difficult to write certain letters/numbers on so sometimes the DS will not recognise what you are writing or will type it up as something else. The microphone doesn't work as well as it could either. When I do the Stroop test, I struggle to get it to register the word 'blue', I have to pronounce it 'blooooooooooooooo' for it to recognise it! My son has trouble with the word 'red' although this is probably because he can't pronounce his R's yet!
This isn't a huge problem though. When you are about to take the test it asks you if you are somewhere where you can speak, and if your accent does make this more difficult then you can always say no and use a different test.
I have played this for a good few days now and it is getting a lot easier. My brain seems to be improving, it is 28 at the mo (I started off at 80!), although most people start off with silly scores as they are still getting used to the system. It is kind of accurate although in no way can calculate the scores of young people or children - my 4 year old has a brain age of 80 apparently, lol!
It is still quite good for children though as my son uses it to practise his maths skills, the multiplication sums are too hard but the adding and subtracting is simple and he enjoys working them out on here as it doesn't seem like hard work. Older children can use the other features and still train and improve their scores, it just won't be an accurate score
All in all, this game is highly recommended as it is fun, functional and educational, and is suitable for use by the whole family.
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