Games that give your brain a workout

For centuries, puzzles and games like Chinese Checkers and Dominoes have captivated people around the world. So it’s not surprising that the puzzle genre has been embraced by video game designers. When Nintendo’s hand-held GameBoy was introduced in 1989, Tetris was packaged along with it. In a short time, more than 30 million people became addicted to the game that requires players to arrange and rotate falling blocks. In the nearly two decades since Tetris’s debut, video gaming has come a long way, and new, innovative puzzle games have become popular with gamers.

Video games are an excellent resource for puzzles, offering an array of quests to solve and providing hours of entertainment. They can be purchased or downloaded online, and can be played by individuals, groups, teams, or competitively. The following puzzle games for video game handhelds and consoles will keep youngsters on their toes. They teach important skills like spelling, math, pattern recognition, and more. The games reviewed here are rated E (everyone) or E10+ (everyone 10 and older) by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (esrb.org).

Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree. Wii. Nintendo. 2007. $49.95. Genre: Puzzle Game. Rating: E. Single and multiplayer. Ages 10 Up.

Measure the size of your brain through successfully completing a series of games that require you to identify, memorize, analyze, compute, and visualize. Solo as well as group (up to 8 players) games are played in three difficulty levels (easy, medium, hard) as well as auto (a random assortment of levels). Once enrolled in the Academy, you can choose to take a test in all the categories or practice first. Among the activities are “Face Case” (face matching), “Covered Cages” (keep track of birds while their cages shuffle), Tetris-like games, and more. The test allows players to answer questions in all of the categories using all of the games in each category. At the end of each round in practice and after testing in every category, the wise owl professor offers his assessment of your brain. A medal is offered for scores over 100.

Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day! Nintendo DS. Nintendo. 2006. $19.99. Genre: Puzzle Game. Rating: E. Single and multiplayer. Ages 10 Up.

This game is loaded with reading and math exercises. You begin by taking a series of tests that determine your “brain age.” As you solve these puzzles, you get better and better and your brain age becomes lower and lower. There are Sudoku puzzles, math problems (addition, subtraction, multiplication), story read-alouds, memory puzzles, and more. Players can enter their responses by writing on the screen with the stylus, speaking into the microphone, or selecting the correct answer on the screen. ESL learners can use these puzzles to work on specific skills and prepare for exams. With a little encouragement and group play, youngsters will find that they enjoy this game.

Professor Layton and the Curious Village. Nintendo DS. Nintendo. 2008. $29.99. Genre: Puzzle Role-Playing Game. Rating: E. 1 player. Ages 12 Up.

While this is a role-playing game with a heavy story-based plot, it will still attract those who enjoy puzzles—there are over 100 puzzles at almost every twist and turn. “In the curious village of St. Mystere, townsfolk speak to each other in riddles, lock their doors with sliding puzzles, and hide their secrets within brainteasers.” Professor Layton, an archeologist and puzzle solving detective, and his assistant are invited by Lady Dahlia, the widow of Baron Augustus Reinhold, to find the Golden Apple which is the key to inheriting the Baron’s estate. The pair encounter puzzles before they enter the town and each villager presents a new puzzle. Hidden coins provide clues needed to solve the puzzles. “The Professor’s Trunk” contains a journal, puzzles solved (which can be replayed at any time), and a painting whose pieces are gathered throughout the town visit to solve other puzzles. There are directional puzzles, strategy puzzles, and math puzzles. The story is brought to life with fully-voiced animated scenes. The puzzles are similar to those included on standardized tests. While this is a single player game, working in teams would be a great way to introduce it in the classroom.

Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords. Nintendo DS, Sony PlayStation Portable, XBox Live Arcade, Wii, PlayStation 2 and 3, Microsoft Windows. D3 Publisher. 2007. $19.99. Genre: Puzzle Role Playing Game. Rating: E10+. Single and multiplayer. Ages 10 Up.

This is great fun for those who enjoy puzzles and role-playing games such as RuneScape and World of Warcraft. The aim of the game is to save the land of Etheria from evil Lord Bane. Once players select a character, a map is shown and places to travel are unlocked as more quests are performed. The puzzles are similar to the game Bejeweled (static.popcap.com/iphone/) where a row of gems are swapped to make room for three or more of the same combination. Players can also choose to get combat training and go shopping with the gold they earn from winning different quests. Minigames, where items can be earned, advance the game plot. Players can build up their citadel with these items and unlock additional locations on the map as they progress through their quests. Even those with little or no experience with role-playing games will catch on quickly.

Spelling Challenges and More! Nintendo DS, Sony PlayStation Portable. Crave Entertainment. 2007. $19.99. Genre: Educational Trivia. Rating: E. 1 player. Ages 5 Up.

Mr. Niceguy, the game’s host, will quickly tally up your winnings and convert them to cash (virtual cash) for all your correctly spelled words. Spelling is taught in a fun (yet tricky) way through this game, and practice rounds are available before the timed marathon sessions. The quick game “Mishmash,” for example, gives a definition of a word on the top screen. Jumbled letters that spell out the answer are printed below. The player must click the letters in the correct order to spell out the answer. In “Fifty Fifty,” words spelled correctly and incorrectly are shown on screen and the player must quickly select the one that is spelled correctly. The aim of the game is to eventually get to the “Super Challenge” and win the jackpot. This is an entertaining way for youngsters to improve their spelling skills while having fun.

We all enjoy the challenge of a solving a good puzzle and it satisfies our competitive instincts. Many of these puzzles have real-world applications to the skills that young people are required to master in school. Consider playing puzzle games with the Nintendo DS or PlayStation Portable because these handhelds can be used easily before class starts or during study hall. Youngsters will enjoy the challenge and learn while they are having fun.