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| From: UBI Soft
Category: Video Games
List Price: $19.99
Buy New: $14.36
You Save: $5.63 (28%)
New (17) Used (8) from $14.28
Avg. Customer Rating:  19 reviews
Sales Rank: 295
Platform: Nintendo Ds
ESRB: Everyone
Media: Video Game
Age: 5 - 20 years
Operating System: Nintendo DS
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 5.4 x 4.9 x 0.6
MPN: 16374
UPC: 008888163749
EAN: 0008888163749
ASIN: B000VBIGJU
Release Date: January 9, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Great brain challenges! May 15, 2008
5 out of 9 found this review helpful
I own Brain Age 2 which is okay, it has a nice variety of exercises, but this one is much better graphically, its more fun and the user interface in tracking progress is much better designed.
It covers a variety of cognitive skills such as memory, focus, logic, math skills, and visual processing. I only gave it 3 stars for overall rating because the memory exercise does not differentiate between the two major styles of memory, visuo-spatial memory and auditory memory. So far there doesn't seem to be any exercises directed towards auditory memory.
Why do I care? I have a son who has a serious auditory memory deficit...and an amazing visuo-spatial memory. He'd whip our butts at a memory card game, puzzles etc. But he can't remember anything verbally or orally presented. We confirmed this with a neuropsychological test b/c he can't follow instructions, misinterprets things he hears, has poor language skills which transfers to social skills, not interacting in class, basically it affects him on many levels. We are actually using a computer program that is specifically designed for kids with learning disabilities and weaknesess to develop cognitive skills that will transfer to stonger academics. The company has had alot of success with kids with weak learning skills. We are thrilled with the program and I saw better performance in my child's homework within a few weeks. So we have a little experience with brain fitness type programs.
Well.....except for the auditory component (which is non-existent in ds games and from my research ---Brain Fitness from Posit Science is the only program that focuses specifically on auditory development and I plan to get this in a few weeks for myself), this program has exercises that stimulate the brain in a similar fashion, but its actually MUCH MUCH more fun. I mean this isn't going to be as fun as a pure game....but this is a program that is suppose to exercise your brain.
The exercises are not as meaty as programs costing hundreds to a couple grand more ----it is varied, and it can make a difference if you use it consistently with enough intensity! This is much more fun than Brain Age and if you are interested in this genre I recommend Brian Challenge.
One caveat, the coach is annoying and so are the put downs when you don't do better than the last time. I feel it should be encouraging or sympathetic and upbeat...not "you did bad!"
 Good for all ages! April 14, 2008
Enjoyable like the rest of the line up of brain games, good to make you think and a change from the fun of shooter games or mario or other fun stuff they offer.
Decent Game March 26, 2008
Overall it's a fun game. It is a lot of repetition and when you first play, you only have a few games to chose from. The first time you play a few of the games you have to guess at what you are doing because the directions aren't always clear.
I was hoping for something better than this March 24, 2008
16 out of 19 found this review helpful
I'm 61 (female & very competitive against a standard - - one of the reasons I like Brain Age) and bought this game for mental acuity training. I have Brain Age 1 & 2, plus Big Brain Academy. I do all of these, start to finish, daily. (I'm committed!) I thot Brain Challenge might be a good addition, but I must say I don't particularly care for it. (1) The writing recognition is *very, very* sketchy. I find I have to press very hard with the stylus to make a mark, and often my answer is correct and read incorrectly. Sometimes the marks don't register at all! (2) There is no how-to-play info other than what's given on the screen (there should be directions on the liner notes in the case). Several games I have yet to figure out. (3) The "countdown" screens with the "rolling and flashing block" are very irritating, especially since I have epilepsy & need to avoid "flashing" things whenever possible. I have to turn the unit over. (BA & BBA have countdowns, too, but far, far less intrusive.) The opening BC screen is a "flasher," too; it's worse than the rolling block! (4) The "helper" says non-helpful things such as "What's wrong with you today?" and "That's worse than before" and other insults. Who wants to pursue something without any instructions and then get insulted for not doing well? I know it's a game, but really! (5) There are a lot of "question screens" that one must tap through to get to the next game. ("Do you know the brain.....?") Maybe there's a way to skip through those entirely and return to the main menu, but I've not found it yet.
On the plus side, the music isn't too terrible. All the games are stylus-activated, as is the case with BA and BBA.
If you want a follow-on to BA1&2 and BBA, Brain Challenge is not it, IMO. mb
 Cream of the Crop March 20, 2008
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
I never liked Brain Age or Big Brain Academy; I considered them to be dull busy work that a cruel teacher might make you do in school. Brain Challenge really surprised me as a vast improvement on the genre. Like other reviewers have said: the presentation is much nicer, there's more variety, and the games are more fun. I can't honestly believe this game is only $20 because it has so many different games on it. They even have bonus games for creativity, relaxation, and your "sixth sense." Don't take the name too lightly though, because it will definitely challenge your brain quite a bit and can be stressful at times. But hey, it comes with "stress training" games too!
Will this game really help you in your daily life? Maybe a little, but life doesn't happen on a tiny screen. The math parts will definitely help you perform simple calculations more quickly, but honestly that's not something that matters to me anyway. The truth is I think it's absurd to believe that playing games like these will make a very noticeable difference in your actual life, but it's fun! I like logic games like sudoku and visual puzzles like Neves (tangrams), and I just think of this along the same lines. The small difference it might make in brain function (if it actually makes any) is just an added bonus. In other words, it's still a toy, not a tool... but what a great toy for $20!
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