by Crystal Collins

Created on: May 08, 2008   Last Updated: May 11, 2008

When I loaded up The Amazing Brain Train by Grubby Games, I had low expectations. It has the look of a toddler's learning game. I was pleasantly surprised, though, when I discovered how addicting and challenging the game could be. Essentially, the game is a conglomeration of 15 mini-games that fit into five categories: spatial, numeric, memory, planning and search. For added variety, Brain Train consists of three different styles of play. You can choose Quest Mode, which follows short story lines as you work your way around a map and chat with animal NPC's. Next is Test Mode, where you can run against the clock on a random mini-game in each of the five categories. At the end you receive a grade based on your score. There is also a practice mode, where you can choose the game you play in either timed or untimed mode. Throughout the entire game there is an opportunity to earn trophies for certain achievements. I found this a great way to keep the game interesting and challenging in the face of potentially redundant mini-game repetition.

Visually speaking, this game has it all- colorful, cute barnyard characters, fun animations, large numbers and buttons that are easy for even young kids to read, and creative interfacing. The sound effects are top rate and the music isn't horribly annoying though I preferred to turn the music down and listen to the cute animal sounds and such. I enjoyed the versatility of the mouse and keypad controls, and found The Amazing Brain Train to be simple and functional.

The demo of this game gives you a very good idea of the game's play, but once most of the games are unlocked and played enough times, you may decide it's not worth purchasing for yourself. Families with children, however, would likely be well served to buy the full version. The ability to save information for different players by name makes it easy to include the whole family.

Though for adult players there should perhaps be an option to skip some of the animations and speech that seem to be more for the benefit of younger kids, Brain Train could capture nearly anyone's attention. I give this game a solid 4/5.

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