Brain Age 2 - Hands-on

Other, equally challenging events range from a sort of homemade dot-to-dot, in which the dots are placed but not numbered, so you can connect them in any sequence and make whatever your mind sees in their pattern, to Sign Finder, in which you get a math problem like 2 _ 5 = 10, and you have to put the right mathematical symbol in the blank. It's easy once, sure; try doing 30 of them in quick succession. Furthering the "math will kill you" platform is Math Recall, another timed set of math problems, except one number is scribbled out of each problem. For instance, you'll see 4 x 2 = 8, but then the eight will be replaced by a scribble and a new problem pops up: scribble x 4 = __ (the answer is 32). Sometimes, a new number will be scribbled out and then added to a new equation. Eventually, you can get three scribbled-out numbers swapping in and out... it's crazy.

Numbers aren't the only way for Brain Age 2 to drive you to drink, either. In Word Scramble, new to the US version of Brain Age 2. In this challenge, the letters to a word appear on one screen swirling around the edge of an invisible circle. You have to figure out what word they spell. Word Blend is even more sinister: you'll actually hear two, three or more words spoken aloud at the exact same time, and have to write down what each word is.

Eric Bratcher
I was the founding Executive Editor/Editor in Chief here at GR, charged with making sure we published great stories every day without burning down the building or getting sued. Which isn't nearly as easy as you might imagine. I don't work for GR any longer, but I still come here - why wouldn't I? It's awesome. I'm a fairly average person who has nursed an above average love of video games since I first played Pong just over 30 years ago. I entered the games journalism world as a freelancer and have since been on staff at the magazines Next Generation and PSM before coming over to GamesRadar. Outside of gaming, I also love music (especially classic metal and hard rock), my lovely wife, my pet pig Bacon, Japanese monster movies, and my dented, now dearly departed '89 Ranger pickup truck. I pray sincerely. I cheer for the Bears, Bulls, and White Sox. And behind Tyler Nagata, I am probably the GR staffer least likely to get arrested... again.