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""When you enjoy yourself, your brain may experience positive effects"--Dr. Kawashima"
As Dr. Kawashima says in one of his brain tips, "Your brain's greatest enemy is a daily routine." Well, if Brain Age 1 has become a daily routine, try your hand (or mind) at Brain Age 2 and you better be prepared to work your brain even harder than before! This game was much more challenging to me than the first Brain Age which probably means it is better for exercising the brain; however, it made it less fun for me and I didn't keep up with it for as long as I did the original Brain Age.

The game is the same format. The same head of Dr. Kawashima, the same music (albeit a little jazzier), and graphic style. Right from the start, the game is more challenging. The initial brain age test is rock, paper, scissors. You get a graphic and it asks you to win or lose. This was much more difficult than reading a word from Brain Age 1. You have to consider two choices and then factor in winning or losing. You do not have a choice when re-testing your brain. It's rock, paper, scissors, repeatedly subtracting a number, and memorizing number placements (much more difficult than memorizing words from the first brain age).

The daily training games are also more difficult. In "Sign Finder," you get a math problem with the answer and have to put in the sign (multiplication, subtraction, etc.). "Piano Player" is a cute game. You have to hit the right note to the music. I'm not sure how it scores this game as I always get a high score even when I don't think I did very well. It my favorite training game. "Word Scramble", to me, is terribly hard. It has letters floating in a circle and you have to figure out the word they make. As it gets more difficult, I often have to pass in frustration. "Memory Sprint" is like "Head Count" from the previous game, but you have to keep track of a runner and who he passes and is passed by to know what place he finishes in the race.

"Change Maker" is just that. You're given an amount something costs and the amount the customer gives you and you give them change. Years in retail made me pretty good at this game. "Word Blend" is where my frustration reached its boiling point. Computer voices say several different words at the same time. You have to distinguish what the different words are. This game is almost impossible for me, especially the three word level. It does add a new dimension to Brain Age--being able to hear voices through the D.S.--but yuck! "Calendar Count" asks questions like, "What day will it be the day after today?" and you write the date (be sure the calendar setting on your DS is correct). "Math Recall" has you answering simple math problems by using one of the numbers of the previous problem in the next, only erased (you need to remember it to answer the problem). I liked this game.

There are other daily training games I never got to. The extra games are kind of cool. One, you get a screen full of dots, visualize an image, and connect the dots. Kawashima then shows you his interpretation which will make your image look pretty stupid (I did get the jack-in-the-box, though). There are also slogans you can create using the letters of words to describe that word. Again, Kawashima will share his example, though I thought some of mine were better. Oh, and you get a bunch of sudoku puzzles with this game, too.

If you are up to a challenge, this game will probably be better than the first Brain Age because it will work your brain more and give you a better indication of your brain age. There is also more variety with more fun graphics than Brain Age 2. I didn't enjoy it mainly because I was so bad at so many of the games it was more work than fun. To use the brain tip I picked as the title of my review, I guess I didn't enjoy myself as much with this game.



"Brain Age 2 game"
I haven't played it that much to give a good review but so far everything is fine. The game came with good directions and was shipped quickly and without any problems.

"A good way to spend your time."
I like this game for the following reasons:
-it actually does give your brain a good workout in short bursts
-you can see your progress and compare it to others
-just when you start to get proficient in something the game ups the ante and allows you to select the "hard" option, which unlocks more challenging puzzles

The changes that I would like to make to the game:
-sometimes the screens in between activities can get a little boring to constantly click through. I'd like to just give me a quick tip then on to the next activity.

Overall, I would highly recommend the game. It's always in my DS and I pick it up whenever I'm waiting in a long line, on the train, or in a waiting area for something.

"Brain Age 2"
Pretty fun game if you enjoy challenging your mind. Whether or not it has improved my brain function like advertised is unclear. Mostly plays the way it is supposed to although the rules for some of the games could have been made clearer.

"Brain Age 2 is much more challenging"
Brain Age 2 is much harder than 1. It's challenging so if you're up for a good one, start with Brain age 2. Brain Age 1 seems like it has more math problems.

I tinker between the two every now and then. My favorite of Brain Age 2 is the keyboard. I hate the clock!