Big Brain Academy (Wii)

Flexing your brain can be loads of fun, so enrol in a Wii education at Big Brain Academy for Wii! Putting your grey matter to the test with a variety of fun mental exercises in five different categories, Big Brain Academy for Wii was designed to be enjoyable for players of all ages and experience levels. Thanks to the easy to use Wii Remote, it's simplicity itself to control the game and take on the Academy's challenges together with your family and friends. To play, all you need to do is use the Wii Remote to point at the correct answer on your TV and then push the A Button to confirm your selection, leaving you to focus on the challenges that await at the Academy. The game will test your brain power in five specific areas, asking you to Memorise, Analyse, Visualise, Identify and Compute as you work your way through laugh-a-minute mental exercises. From trying to keep track of birds in a cage in Birdie Birdie to piecing together a functioning train line in Train Turn, you'll have to think fast if you're going to graduate top of your class! Three different modes of play; Brain Quiz, Mental Marathon and Mind Sprint will all present unique challenges as up to eight people work together or battle it out to prove they have the biggest brain of all!

Nintendo clearly learned a lot from the DS when designing the Wii, with its unique control system and ultra user friendly interface. It’s not just the hardware which bares comparison though, with Nintendo planning a similar range of unusual software, some of which can barely be described as a video game at all. Big Brain Academy on the DS was the less academic of the two brain training games released, testing your grey matter in five separate areas categorised as "Think", "Memorize", "Analyze", "Compute" and "Identify".

Only three mini-games have been shown so far for the Wii version, the first presenting you with three numbered blocks and a total that you have to reach by adding two of them together. Your job is to knock the one you don’t need out by wielding the Wii remote like a hammer. The second game is a variant of spot the difference, except with inverted and distorted pictures where you have to place the missing elements in the second image. The third mini-game displays two towers of bricks where you have to punch holes in one so that it exactly matches up to the other.

All three games are played against an opponent, which implies that all or most of the other games will be too. Since you can also use your Mii character this is certain to be a multiplayer favourite for just about anyone in the family. So even if it doesn’t improve your brain power it should at least ensure you remain happy in your ignorance.
HARRISON DENT