Fun for a bit, but Sudoku is the main lasting point
Well, arrive it did, and get it I did as well. After playing it awhile I must say it is fun for awhile and interesting, but overall, Sudoku (the mind bending number game) is the most long lasting appeal to me.
The 'game' is centered around training your brain daily by doing a series of repetitive, quick, and mostly simple trials to keep your brain sharp and to make it sharper. The proof of this is supposedly provided by a 'brain age check' that begins the first time you creat a profile and continues to be checked every time you choose to check it. At first, you only have a few activities to try, but as you progress you will unlock more activites to play. Every day you 'train' you get a stamp on your calender (with a bigger stamp if you do three activities.
The activites range from simple math problems to counting people moving in and out (and sometimes simultaneously in and out) of a house, reading literature passages aloud, counting time elapsed from two different clock faces, and even 'voice' controlled math calculations. Most of these work rather well and on the higher difficulties (some have 'easy' or 'hard' modes later on) may be challenging. The setup and interface works well and things flow great.
Also added in are regular questions and activites by the host of the game that range from asking what you ate that day to the first thing you said that day--which is stored and will be asked of you again later. Another activity is drawing a series of pictures with the stylus of something (like a train engine, a hippo, etc..). This is more fun with muliple users of the game for they will show you their lovely works as well compared with yours.
Although everything works well, I have a hard time proving this is making me sharper. Sure, I was much faster at the activities after repeating them, but can I say that means my brain is sharper or just practice in general? It's a big conlcusion. Fighting senility and Altzheimer's? That will reamain to be seen. That being said, when I did perform better on an activity, I did feel a sense of accomplishment.
If you are someone that is on the go and don't like games that require daily playing--this may not be for you, as the host will yell at you when you are not consistent with your use. Although it doesn't take long to 'train' daily, sometime it feels more of an annoyance when you feel obligated to play. Also, the appeal begins to wane after a bit.
However, one great addition to the game is the number cruncher Sudoku. Those unfamiliar with this game should look into it if they're a fan of puzzles of any kind. This number game has been becoming more and more popular these days, and the Sudoku format on this kart is very easy to use and plays well, plus it tracks how long you are spending on a puzzle and has enough puzzles that you can go back to one you did awhile ago and try to improve you times. Plus, there are varying levels of difficulty presented with the puzzles, and if you are new to it--they have a tutorial of sorts. A great addition!
Overall this game is recommended to those that are looking for a break from what's become 'traditional' gaming, those looking to explore the new 'brain games' craze, and those looking for a great electronic sudoku game. The lower overall price is also attractive.