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Computer Times
Editors' Choice Game The Amazing Brain Train Reviewed by Angie Kibiloski
The Amazing Brain Train (Retail $19.95) from Grubby Games, is an adorable learning game for young school children. Through a variety of fun mini-games, kids are taught skills such as math, reasoning, and memory. The mini-games are part of the larger game quest, and serve as a means to progress through that quest. Aboard the Brain Train, you must travel along the train track to visit all of your animal friends, and complete small missions as favors for them, like delivering clothes pin nose plugs so that the skunk's friend will come and visit. Power the train along the track with brain power, by completing, and doing well in, the mini-games. You can download this game from www.grubbygames.com.
Each mini-game consists of a series of problems. You are timed, and given a score based on how many problems you solve before time runs out. Careful, accuracy counts as well as speed, and you are deducted points for any problems you get wrong. Your scores are recorded, both for the fuel for your Brain Train, and for the High Scores board. When you play the mini-game again during a later mission, try to beat your own high score. You also earn trophies that you can view in the Trophy Room, by finishing with a certain score, or completing other requirements. With these 2 features, kids will really feel a sense of accomplishment and progress.
There are 5 categories of mini-games: math, memory, planning, search, and spatial. An example of a math game is Brain Ball. In this game, you must fill in the correct number or sign to complete a math problem. Do it quick enough and hit a home run. One of the spatial games is Puppy Dog Tangle. Here, you have been walking a group of dogs, and their leashes have gotten all tangled together. You must move the dogs around until the leashes no longer overlap. Frozen Fruit Finder is an example of a planning mini-game. You must navigate your monkey along an icy pond, trying to pick up every piece of fruit on the ice. You can only change directions after picking up a piece of fruit, so planning your moves ahead, so as not to get stuck with no where to go, is key. The Newcomer memory game presents you with a few animals, shapes, or numbers, standing in open barn doors. After studying them for a couple seconds, the doors will close. When they re-open, you must choose which of the objects wasn't in the original group. Finally, one of the search games is called Critter Crammer. You are given a grid, which represents a space ship that, for some reason, you must load a bunch of animals onto. The animals are standing on different shaped pieces of ground, and you need to find a way to fit all the shapes together inside the spaceship like puzzle pieces. Each category has 3 games, but not all of the games are available at first. As you complete missions from your animal friends, new games are unlocked.
There are 3 different modes in which to play The Amazing Brain Train. Quest mode is where you propel your train along the tracks, visiting the animals, and completing missions. This is where the majority of your time will be spent. Test mode allows you to really see how great of a student you are, by taking a test consisting of 5 random mini-games. Practice mode lets you play any of your unlocked games without a time limit, so you can hone your skills without worrying about the clock. There are a couple trophies to be won in Test and Practice modes, so don't neglect them.
The Amazing Brain Train is a really great, cute game to get kids motivated about learning. Making progress though the missions of helping the local animals, and getting rewarded for your efforts with high scores and trophies, makes this game one that will hold a kid's attention for a long time. And it isn't just kids who will find this game entertaining. For parents who might be helping their child out with the mini-games, you might find some of the puzzles challenging as well. The animal characters in the game are cute, and the mini-games are easy to learn. This game will provide hours of educational fun for you and your child. System Requirements: PC:
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