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My Word Coach Review for the Nintendo DS (NDS)

My Word Coach Review for the Nintendo DS (NDS)

Back In School

There are more enjoyable ways to spruce up your vocabulary by learning new words than curling up in front of the fire with the dictionary. The recent wave of successful brain training games has proven stimulating your mind while enhancing mental growth does not always have to be a snooze inducing time.

My Word Coach screenshot

Whether or not you feel so inclined to delve into the world of edutainment may be a matter of personal preference, but Ubisoft’s My Word Coach brings a surprisingly addictive language-based angle to the casual game market. If you love word games or simply seek to expand your lexicon this is one title you won’t want to miss.

Designed to be played in short 15-to-20 minute sessions each day, My Word Coach strives to test players’ vocabulary knowledge while also giving them a better grasp of new and interesting terms. This is done through a series of mini-games that utilize specific vocabulary words and definitions which are chosen based-on a player’s assessed skill level. Ubisoft developed the game in conjunction with Dr. Thomas Michael Cobb, a professor of applied linguistics as the University of Quebec who served as a language consultant for the project. As a result, it’s no half-baked affair. In order to learn new words you must be exposed to them on a regular basis and in a variety of ways. My Word Coach does just that.

Players begin with a brief introduction to the Word Training Institute given by a virtual professor (later you can choose from a handful of different professors to suit your personal taste). A few quick-and-easy mini-game tests are then given to familiarize players with the game concepts. You’ll then create a user-profile which will allow you track your progress over time and access new games and tools. Once a user-profile is created, you’re given an official test designed to determine your expressions potential which is simply a measure of your ability to express yourself. You’ll be assigned an expression potential percentage score ranging from zero to 100 percent. For example, the game equates a score of 30 percent to a secondary student graduate, a score of 50 percent would be a newscaster, 75 percent would be in-line with a teacher, and 95 percent is on par with a poet or literary writer. The overall goal is to gradually increase your expression potential over time. Once your score is determined, the game tailors the vocabulary to match your skill level and new words will be introduced as you grow. As you play each mini-game you’ll be scored on accuracy and speed, and your points will go towards meeting your daily quota.

My Word Coach screenshot

Each of the six primary mini-games in My Word Coach is fairly simple, but they become more difficult depending on your expression potential level. The first game you’ll encounter is Missing Letter where a word is shown on the top screen, and one letter is replaced with an underline. Players must determine the missing letter and then write that letter on the touch screen with the stylus. You’ll go through a dozen or so words in a single round and you must plow through them as fast as possible. The letter-recognition software is occasionally inconsistent, and it will some times incorrectly interpret sloppy letters. An erasure function lets you try again, and you may also skip a word and come back to it if you get stuck. The other games are similarly basic.

My Word Coach screenshot

Split Decision shows players a word on the top screen and they must use the touch screen to quickly scroll either left or right to read definitions and determine which one matches. It’s a fast-paced game since only one of the two answers is right. Pasta Letters gives you a definition and then has you using the stylus to fish around in a bowl of alphabet soup to unscramble the corresponding word by lining the letters up along the rim. Word Shuffle presents you with a handful of cutout words on the touch screen and a series of definitions on the top screen.

My Word Coach screenshot

You’ll have to examine each definition and place the proper missing word in. Block Letters resembles Tetris since letter blocks will periodically fall from the sky and you must activate the blocks to spell words from the day’s list. In Safecracker, you’re given a definition and you must spell the word by turning a safe dial with the stylus. At the end of each game, a word review list shows you the words you just played through and gives you the proper definitions for any you missed along the way. Also, missed words will be reshuffled to a higher priority for the day as a means of ensuring players have plenty of opportunity to finally get them right. A helpful built-in glossary allows you enter in a word and locate its definition immediately.

Though the games are simple they rarely get dull from day-to-day as harder words are introduced. You may breeze through a particular challenge one day only to find it significantly more difficult the next due to the introduction of unfamiliar vocabulary terms. Also, each game has different difficulty settings which can be unlocked as you progress. On a higher difficulty, new play mechanics are thrown in such as having to blow into the microphone to keep letters from sinking in Pasta Letters or being given the definition first and having to then select the proper word associated with it in Split Decision. The need for accuracy and a constant time constraints add a fun tension to the game which might otherwise drag if it was simply a matter of figuring things out at your leisure. Also, you’re encouraged to rest for the day once you’ve met your daily quota. If you continue playing the same game over and over again in a given day, eventually the points earned will stop going towards your expression potential. A variety of tools also allow you to visually chart your progress each day or over a longer period of time.

The game is easily accessible to players with all different vocabulary ability levels, but it won’t have any qualms about showing you just how much you need to improve. You may not get major results overnight – My Word Coach emphasizes a slow-and-steady approach to let new terms soak in – although you’ll find yourself steadily learning new terms (and perhaps even getting a better grasp on the ones you may use already). My Word Coach is an excellent pick up and play casual game that makes learning vocabulary a blast. The constant drive to meet your daily quote and hopefully increase your expression potential also has a pleasant side effect. Who would have thought playing video games could make you smarter?

Features:

  • Six training exercises help players improve their skills, including Missing Letter, Split Decision, Pasta Letter, Block Letters, Word Shuffle, and Safecracker.
  • Three levels of difficulty, including new game features within each, allow people of all skill levels to play the game and learn perhaps you’re not as smart as you thought.
  • Four different coaches with their own unique personalities and attitudes will help guide and track your potential and progress.

    RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 3.0 Graphics
    Simple and rather plain visuals are fine. This is a game about words after all. 3.9 Control
    Solid controls in almost every game. Letter recognition doesn’t work as smoothly as it should. 4.0 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
    Catchy laid back music punctuates each mini-game. 3.6

    Play Value
    It’s not designed for marathon sessions, but the game is perfect in short bursts each day.

    3.9 Overall Rating – Good
    Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

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