AngryMidgetMonkeyPimp Wrote:I have a DS and have played a lot of those eduacational type games... there are literally dozens. The one from the video is the Japnese version of "Brain Age" called "Professor Ryūta Kawashima of Tōhoku University's Center for Collaborative Research on Future Technology Presents: Train Your Brain - DS Training for Adults" !!!
The Japanese are nuts for these learning games and they're constantly the top selling games.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_Age
Angry is mostly correct, but there is one small error. It is actually not 脳を鍛える大人のDSトレーニング! (Nou o Kitaeru Otona no DS Toreeningu) It is the sequel called もっと脳を鍛える大人のDSトレーニング! (Motto Nou o Kitaeru Otona no DS Toreeningu). Both games are probably available pretty much anywhere you can buy import games. I did check Lik-Sang and they don't seem to have them currently. Also you could try
Amazon.co.jp . Here is the catch though, I have both games and the first one has very little "useful" kanji practice from the point of view of a beginner/intermediate student. It has the following daily training exercises:
20 Problem Speed Math
100 Problem Speed Math
Really Hard Reading Practice of Ancient Japanese (Yes the DS has a built in Microphone. I have had Japanese friends stumble through the difficult reading not to mention you can just go "Blah, Blah Blah" and the thing thinks you are reading properly.)
Speed "Count the kana" in a short kanji laden passage (Most useful of the training exercises but I hope to convince you of better options for spending you money).
A puzzle to count number of people in a house.
Triangle Math (5+8/8+1 then 13+9 then final answer)
Time Math
Speak your answer speed math. (I guess this one would help with saying Japanese numbers but again it suffers a bit from the "Blah, Blah, Blah" bug)
The second one (Moto) is much more fun as a "brain trainer" and has more in the way of beginner/intermediate kanji practice. It has the following daily training exercises:
Write the kanji for the reading. (Its very good! This is the one in the video.)
Speed "guess the operator" to simple math problems (2〇8=10)
Read music and play the tune on keyboard
Build the kanji from its parts (Also very good and fun.)
Write the "3 kana" words you hear. (This compounds to write the 2 "3 kana" words you hear at the same time and then write the 3 "3 kana" words you hear at the same time. It is fun but not sure where it fits into the world of study I could see calling it a listening practice...I guess)
Speed Remember the operand Math (2+3=? then 5+3=? then 5+7=? then 3+7=? but the catch is you cant see the operand that repeats. This is actually my favorite of the math training exercises)
Find the missing kanji. (Read a passage for a few seconds then see it again with one kanji converted to its kana and write that converted kanji again. This is another good one but I find it a bit difficult for my level. Maybe after I finish RTK1.)
Dates Quiz (Its not bad for simple reading practice that pertains to days and dates)
Fill in the missing kanji in a 4 kanji idiom (REALLY REALLY HARD! But interestingly, a Chinese friend of mine is pretty good at this one so I guess a lot of the Japanese idioms have Chinese roots.)
Speed 'Make Change" Math (Pay with 1000 yen and 50 yen piece etc.)
A Block Stacking Puzzle (Similar to counting people in the house from first game)
A Race Position Puzzle (What place did the "man" you are tracking finish the race)
Speed Read the Clock (They start to show up upside down and backwards!)
Write the English for the word (Not bad reading practice, and also decent vocabulary builder.)
And Lastly an unbranded version of Dr.Mario.
So the bottom line is I would recommend the "Motto" version but not the original. Having said all that I recommend
Zaidanhoujin Nippon Kanji Nouryoku Kentei Kounin: KanKen DS over both the brain trainers. If you like I can try my hand at a YouTube video for all the DS stuff I have that relates to Japanese learning.
