Product Review: Brain Quest DVD Game

The following is a product review of
Brain Quest, an educational DVD game for children between the ages of six and eight. If you have young kids or want a gift that both parents and kids will applaud, read on...

Yes, children. It's OK to be smart!

And my eight-year old second grade daughter certainly felt that way after playing Brain Quest for a few minutes. The game, designed for children in grades 1-3 (ages 6-8), includes a DVD with more than 500 questions on an array of topics, and a deck of cards with "150 Questions & Answers to Challenge Yourself and Your Friends."

"This is so easy!" she chortled more than once, while aiming the remote control at the DVD player to answer questions like, "Which is a mammal: a shark or a whale?" and, "What is the capital of the United States of America?"

My six-year old kindergartener, however, was both challenged and entranced. Upon hearing the questions read aloud on screen (e.g., "Which is part of a plant: a stem, a claw, or a wing?"), he often needed a few moments to scratch his head and think. Most of the time, he would scream, "Oh! I know!" and use the remote to select the correct answer.

But when the questions covered topics that were clearly designed for older kids (e.g., "How many continents are there?"; "Rearrange the word 'inch' into a word for part of your face."), he hadn't a clue.

I used these more challenging questions as opportunities to teach my son something new. "Well, let's see now. There's Asia, Africa, er...Hey Daughter! How many continents are there? Seven? OK. Thanks. Right. There are seven continents, Son."

Following our answer selection, right or wrong, the correct answer would appear on the screen with a simple explanation. And then - ta da - a new question would appear.

Personally, I liked the non-competitive nature of this game. There were no "Woo hoos" or "You're a genius!" exaltations for correct answers, and similarly, no "gongs" or "Oh nos!" for mistakes. There were no tallies of right and wrong answers, and thus, no winners or losers.

I liked that my kids could play at their own rate, taking as much time as they needed to answer a question or take a break. And I was impressed by the scope of the questions, which covered everything from music to history to math to grammar.

Most of all, I liked the idea of my children playing a game that actually reinforced what they already knew and taught them new things. Not a bad way to spend a road trip - either with a portable DVD player or the handy pack of cards - or a rainy afternoon.

When I asked my daughter what she thought of Brain Quest, she said, "It's easy" quickly followed by, "Can I play it now?" Perhaps questions like, "How many feet are there in 5 yards?" are not so easy after all.

My son says Brain Quest is "fun." I think he enjoys testing his knowledge and learning new things as much as I enjoy cheering him along: Woo hoo! You're a genius! What? You want to know who wrote the Declaration of Independence? Sure. That would be...Hey Daughter! Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? Thomas Jefferson? OK. Thanks. Right. Thomas Jefferson, Son.

Thumbs up for Brain Quest from the Dynamite clan.