Big Brain Academy for Wii

My kids love this ! and so does mum and dad a great way to get the family together and have some fun, but also testing your skills, and the great thing is you can choose your skill and improve with practice a good way for the kids to help with their memory and maths skills. A well worth buy !!!

I bought Big Brain Academy for wii not knowing what to expect, as this is the first brain training for the Wii. Really this is one of the only games that makes you feel like a total loser telling you that your brain is out of shape and not heavy enough. If you lose in a multiplayer game like Mario Kart then you can make excuses, however here if you fail to recognise that a rocket is faster than a snail or a bike, there is nobody to blame but yourself!!

Although there are different games this time, the premise is exactly the same as the DS version. There are a few more areas to test your brain (Visualise, Analyse, Memorise, Identify and Compute) in the single player mode but there are only three games in each but once you have had one scan through there is nothing more to do but try and improve your score (believe me it gets boring very quickly).

However there is no reel incentive to keep playing on, as almost all of the games are particularly uninspiring. You'll be doing things like picking the odd one out from four pictures, popping numbered balloons in order of lowest from highest and using a torch to count animals. It can often be quite challenging but none of them use the wii remote in a very interesting or useful way- a pity.

Big Brain Academy is saved from total failure by three excellent multiplayer modes. When you've got someone sat next to you threatening to show you up as a total dunce, it suddenly becomes a matter of pride as you battle to pop those balloons in record time or count one hundred animals in sixty seconds in order to save face in a mind sprint!!

Mental Marathon is more of a team effort as players work together to complete tests but my favourite of the lot is the fantastic Brain Quiz. This game is set on a board with each square being a different brain game. When a player chooses one the game randomly selects a difficulty level, so if you get an easy game you'll need to take full advantage of it by getting a high score. This is a really big hit at parties.

Overall Big Brain Academy does provide some fun with friends but if you are looking for something that'll improve your brain then I would go for Dr. Kawashima on the D.S.

Pros:
- Excellent multiplayer games.
- The wii's first brain training game.
- Often very challenging.

Cons:
- Limited Single Player Mode.

Overall: 7/10
Graphics: 7/10

I bought this game as i like games which get my mind moving and this certainly does that! I agree playing it alone may not be the greatest but once there are at least two of you the time flys.

I particulary like the group brain one where you get twelve categories and you get to pick one at a time. its especially fun trying to leave my boyfriend with the category he doesnt like!

Id recommend this game to anyone!

Brilliant, utter brilliant, I watch in amazement as my 6 yr old daughter plays and learns, then when she`s gone to bed I crank the difficulty level up and thrash it out with the wife. Fun for all the family, Highly recommended.

Don't get this if you're only into single player games. It won't last long; you'll have completed all the puzzles after fifteen minutes, and replay value to beat your own high score is low. But if you play Wii against family and friends, this is an essential purchase, especially at the budget price point. You can play games with 8 players sharing one remote. I've played this with family and friends ranging in age from 8 to 70, and every single one of them had a great time playing. It's friendly, it's fun, it's light hearted - and, brilliantly, it has a dynamic difficulty level that adapts to the skills of each player. Can't wait to get a big group around and fire it up again! Certainly one of the best multiplayer games on Wii.