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 We
highlighted various brain training style games for PDAs and smartphones
yesterday on 247 and following that round up I felt it necessary to
take a closer look at Brain School from Mastersoft. I have been playing
this title every day for the past 10 days and it really is getting
under my skin unlike almost any other game I have played on a mobile
device. My review is based upon experiences with a Windows Mobile
Smartphone device (T-Mobile MDA Mail) so this is a hard test- no touch
screen and a small processor plus fiddly buttons do not make for an
ideal gaming device…In total there are 20 puzzles to complete and each one has 5 levels of difficulty- you will not be jumping through all 20 in a short period of time though because some of them are tough and really do test the grey matter. Without meaning to sound arrogant I am remarkably intelligent (cough) and really struggled on some of the puzzles- the mathematics based ones I am doing well at but throw me something that requires special awareness and I am stuffed. This is something that I was not aware of but the game has highlighted a weakness that I never knew I had. Once you have set up your personal information to create a Pupil you are presented with a grid detailing years 1 through to 4 and you have to complete 25 puzzles to complete a year. Interestingly these are all very different to each other and even though I am still stuck in year one I can see that many skills will be tested as I progress further. With no obviousness at all Brain School highlights your good areas and shows up your bad areas in an instant- not since the original Nintendo version have I seen a mobile brain game that feels as complete as this one. Some of the puzzles are timed which adds to the frantic nature of some levels whilst others require a degree of concentration before you can complete each single puzzle.  I
have found that in some puzzles I am now able to make snap decisions
and get the right answer whereas previously a correct answer would have
required lots of thought and at times an extra piece of paper- the
words ‘brain trainer’ are applied accurately in the title.
One of the puzzles in year one is called Heavier, Heaviest and would
make a fascinating stand-alone title. It sums up how quickly an
individual can learn a new skill and has often produced results that
surprise me. Getting an A+ in a game like this is far from easy but it
can be done if enough time and effort is applied. Time and effort is
what is needed above all to crack this game and you will definitely
feel rewarded as you progress through the years- again, this is unusual
in the mobile games world.The entire game is set up around the idea that you are in a virtual school and as such you need to progress through the years and pass exams to take your finals. This would be a nice touch on its own but the extras are what makes this game different to the others- there is a careers advisor who will give you an assessment of how you are doing (apparently I would make a good Librarian at the moment?) and school reports are also available showing, in detail, how well you are doing. You can see your scores by class, grade, level and in many other ways which gives you further incentive to keep on playing.  The
daily exam feature is great if you have a spare three minutes and
includes many puzzles in a timed environment for you to play. It sounds
like a nice way to pass a few minutes but I personally have to sit
down, prepare myself mentally and then tackle it- take a look at the
trial and you will see exactly what I mean.Conclusion It is difficult for me to review the entire game because I am only half way through year one but that is what intrigues me the most about this game- I still have 75 puzzle levels to get through and I already feel completely engrossed in the experience. For all of the nice touches, superbly implemented puzzles and graphical prowess one part of the game lifts it above its competitors- it makes me want to try harder and more importantly it is showing me how I can improve mentally. Maybe it was pure luck on the developer’s part but if that is not the case this is one VERY clever piece of programming that you simply MUST try. This review will be followed up with another one as I progress through the game because I suspect that year two will give a whole new experience and so on through years three and four. This is the best brain trainer on ANY device! Available from www.mastersoftmobilesolutions.com. The introductory price of US$14.95 ($5 discount) has been extended for 2 weeks in the 247 software store so grab it while you can. |
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