Unfortunately, however, there's not a whole lot of satisfaction in playing through this game, even in short, regular spurts as the title is clearly meant to be played. Aside from seeing your IQ increase, there's no real expression of your success. And seeing as this game is supposed to make you smarter, Best of Tests DS really doesn't do a very good job of motivating you (after all, sticking with a plan is half the difficulty of reaching a goal).

The second huge problem with this game, and the one that ultimately ends up being Best of Tests' downfall, is the fact that it just isn't all that fun. I know that games like Brain Age, which are certainly not your typical video game, have still succeeded. But it still manages to be fun in its own little way; sadly, the same just cannot be said for Best of Tests DS. It's honestly a bit of a bore to play and just fails to captivate you or engage you or even be remotely interesting. The questions, while there are a few hundred, are really just pretty boring, and I feel that you could get a similar result simply by taking some of those cheesy online IQ tests. The game praises itself for being ideal for someone preparing for an IQ test (wait -- I don't think you're supposed to do that, actually…), but it never occurred to them that preparing for an IQ test just is not fun or interesting or really successful material for a video game.

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On the presentation side of things, Best of Tests DS is no better. The graphics are poor, as is the music, and it's clear that not a whole lot of effort was put into making this title look nice. Of course, neither of these aspects matter all that much compared to the gameplay, so their deficiency is made less severe just by the fact that the gameplay mechanic is busted and boring. All told, Best of Tests DS is a game that you should certainly pass by. It has few, if any, redeeming qualities, and I'm hard-pressed to imagine the sort of person who could actually have fun with this title. There are fun brain games out there that are enjoyable and worth playing, but Best of Tests DS is not one of them.

By Joseph Catalanotto
CCC Freelance Writer