Junior Brain Trainer is the children's version of the hugely popular Dr Kawashima's Brain Training. Aimed at three years and over, there's 100 different brain games from memory and logic puzzles to maths and English that complement learning. Fun game rewards are added after the player has completed the daily training and there is a very enthusiastic squirrel screen guide to encourage players.
Whilst the game is aimed at children as young as three, I felt that children would only really benefit from this game once they understood the basics of reading and writing so three year old players probably wouldn't find much to interest them, where as our four year old tester, who has mastered the basics of the alphabet, was quite keen on the handwriting tasks which involved copying the lower and uppercase letters.
Daily training games are accessed from the top menu where a series of small tasks are set such as copying shapes on a grid, guess the extra word, 'drag and drop' to complete the word, guess the number sequence, a set of multiplications using 'drag and drop' numbers, compare 'less' and 'more than' numbers, dominoes with count the dots, additions table and ordering numbers with games changing each time the training programme is accessed. The maths games were really suited to a slightly older player who had gone through the basics of maths and probably just starting their multiplication tables. An adult may also need to be on hand for younger children who are will no doubt know the answers but may not be able to read fully enough to complete the task alone. We also thought that if children are already taking their first steps on a PC, a virtual QWERTY keyboard may have made more sense for some of the word games than an alphabet grid.
So that the daily brain trainer aspect doesn't seem like work, every daily task is rewarded with a game that many parents will recognise such as Snakes which zips round the screen picking up jewels, simple card game Beggar My Neighbour, Ghosts and Balloon Pop. There's also a quiz to test knowledge and a progress chart with a virtual star chart.
The graphics were very child friendly - animated mice, cows and ladybirds all made an appearance alongside the squirrel with cute cloud backgrounds.
I felt the graphics were intended at the younger age range but that it wasn't patronising and remained very child friendly. This game is ideal for parents who have bought their children a DS but want to ensure that their offspring are getting something cerebral out of it, rather than just playing a game, and it would make a good game for parents and children to play together.
Age range: Box says 3+, we say 4+ with occasional help.
Type: Children's/Puzzle
Price: Around £15
Technoglam rating: 4/5
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