Brain Age for the Nintendo DS

It's been well documented that stimulation of the brain can help fight off the effects of degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. This only makes sense when you think of the brain as a muscle that needs exercising just like any other muscle in the body. If you didn't use your legs for a long time, then it would stand to reason that you wouldn't be able to walk. If we don't challenge or use our brain then we could lose some ability.

Brain Age: Train your Brain in Minutes a Day for the Nintendo DS is like a treadmill for your brain. Your brain needs a workout just like those abs. You do mini games that center around math and reading. Each day play at least one game to get your stamp for the day. After you have so many stamps, more of the game becomes unlocked. New games will be available as well as new levels of difficulty for already unlocked games.

Each day you can check your brain age. The game records your score. You can retake the brain age check but only your first score will be recorded. The optimal brain age is 20. Don't be surprised if the first time you check your brain age it is 70. Once you play for a day or two, you will see the age drop way down. My first brain age check was 78. The second brain age check was 45. There is a slight learning curve with the games, so don't expect your first brain age to be that impressive.

You can also play the popular puzzle game Sudoku on Brain Age. There are easy puzzles as well as advanced ones. The Sudoku part of the game is completely separate from the Brain Age training; don't worry about your time in finishing a puzzle unless you are trying to beat a personal best.

Brain Age for the Nintendo DS is a fun game to play. You turn the DS sideways and hold it like a book. Then you use the stylus to write most of your answers. Some games make use to the Nintendo DS microphone. In those games, you speak your answer into the microphone. The microphone works well most of the time;however, you do want to make sure you are in a quiet environment before playing one of these games. Before beginning a speaking test, you will be asked if you are in a quiet environment and can speak.

Brain Age is also full of useful tips to improve brain ability. Brain Age is so fast paced that you can play through a game in a few minutes. This makes Brain Age a great game to play on the commute to work or when waiting for friends. Have friends test their skills because in the game you can compare your results. The more people the play, the more fun you will have. Brain Age makes great use of the Nintendo DS and packs a lot of fun into a bargain priced game. Brain Age retails for $19.99.