School is starting up soon, and if your kids need some brushing up on their math and thinking skills, there are plenty of Nintendo DS games that can help. Two of them are Challenge Me: Logic Brain Puzzles and Challenge Me: Math Workout. But do these games really make learning fun? Read on to find out:

Challenge Me: Logic Puzzles is the better of the two Challenge Me titles. It has two games in one: Sudoku and Picture Logic (also known as Picross). Hold the DS sideways like a book to play each game. In Sudoku, tap the screen to enter in numbers in ten key fashion. There are plenty of other Sudoku games out there on DS with better interfaces, menus, and options, though. The Sudoku modes on Nintendo’s Brain Age titles are still the best on the DS, and I like how they’ll let you know immediately if you make a mistake.

Picture Logic is a little bit better. It’s like a cross between a logic number problem and crossword puzzles. Use number clues on the X and Y axis to fill in squares on a grid to make a picture. The instructions for both games on this collection aren’t very clear, though. The only reason why I was able to figure out how to do the Picture Logic puzzles is because I had already played Picross DS (which is much better anyway).

If you haven’t played the Sudoku games on Brain Age or Picross DS from Nintendo, I’d recommend those first. But if you’ve already played both those titles to death, the 500 puzzles each in Sudoku and Picture Logic on Challenge Me: Brain Puzzles might be a good second choice.

Unfortunately, Challenge Me: Math Workout doesn’t quite measure up. It includes two number based flash card games that aren’t very fun and only somewhat educational. The first is Hidden Logic, and it’s a number card game that can be played with 2 to 4 players. You try to guess all the card numbers in your opponent’s deck. There are some clues to help you guess the numbers, though. The cards go in numerical order in each hand, and only one number can appear on each of the black or white cards. The rules are bit confusing, but luckily there is a single player puzzle mode that helps explain things. Even so, Hidden Logic ends up being a guessing game that stops being fun after about five minutes. But it may be better with more human players, though, and you can play local wireless with multiple DS systems.

The other game on Math Workout is Formulate. Each card has a number and an adding, subtracting, dividing, or multiplying sign. You must arrange these cards to create a correct formula before the other players do. But since the cards only go from 0 to 9, it’s a little difficult to make any equations without discarding a lot of cards.

I didn’t find the Math Workout games very fun, but then, I just don’t like math, period. Even though I’ve never played it, I imagine Nintendo’s own published Personal Trainer: Math might be better. But if your kids need more number reinforcement after that, or they just really like number games, then Math Workout may be a good second choice, too. Because of the strong reading, math, and thinking skills required, both Challenge Me: Brain Puzzles and Challenge Me: Math Workout are best for older grade school age kids and up. Both games are rated E for Everyone.

Tags: Game Reviews