Brain Games – Wall Street Journal Review

Here are the products our testers tried.  They rated ease of use, clarity of directions, and fun on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best.

Brain Age by Nintendo Co.

Website: brainage.com  Price: 129.99 for Nintendo DS device; 19.95 for software

Product Description: Palm-sized device and game chip

Ease of Use: 3.5  Clarity of Directions: 3.7  Fun:  3.7

The Good: Portability is this product’s greatest asset

The Bad: Voice and writing recognition need work

Gym Metaphor:  Fun walk on the beach – bit is it a workout?

Brainbuilder.com by Advanced Brain Technologies LLC

Website: brainbuilder.com  Price: 49.95 (12 month single membership)  Product Description:Website

Ease of Use: 3.6  Clarity of Directions: 3.7  Fun: 2

The Good: Users liked the “brain diary” that monitors impact of sleep and diet

The Bad:  The “auditory reverse digits” exercise was “like drowning.”

Gym Metaphor:  Jogging on the same track every day

Brain Fitness Program 2.0 by Posit Science Corp.

Website: Positscience.com  Price: $395  Product Description:  Cd and headphones; requires internet

Ease of Use: 4.5  Clarity of Directions: 4.8  Fun: 2.6

The Good: Grounded in Science; testers quickly made progress

The Bad: Pressing “up” and “down” arrows can get boring.

Gym Metaphor:  Personal Trainer who’s knowledgeable not dazzling.

Happy Neuron by Quixit Inc.

Website: happyneuron.com  Price: 9.95 a month or $99.95 a year  Product Description: Website

Ease of Use: 3.6  Clarity of Directons: 3.9  Fun:  3.6

The Good: Games relevant to adult leisure life: touring cities, haiku.

The Bad:  Some testes wanted more variety and sound effects

Gym Metaphor:  Well equipped but skewed to fitness buffs.

MindFit by CogniFit Ltd.

Website: www.cognifit.com  Price:  $149 for CD or $129 to download

Product Description: CD or downloadable; requires internet

Ease of Use:  4.0   Clarity of Directions: 4.4   Fun:  3.9

The Good: Adapts well to user’s ability; testes liked matching pictures.

The Bad: Baseline Setup was extremely long, taking at least three days.

Gym Metaphor:  All the machines – a total workout

MyBrainTrainer.com by MyBrainTrainer LLC

Website: mybraintrainer.com  Price: 9.95 (four-month membership)     Product Description: Web Site

Ease of Use: 3.4   Clarity of Directions: 3.5  Fun: 3.1

The Good: Online Community; individualized training plan.

The Bad: Many instructions in “teensy-tiny print.”

Gym Metaphor: Sports facility for highly competitive athletes.