Wii Fit Plus also keeps track of your stats like it did before; it measures your progress and tracks the amount of exercise you do, representing it on useful graphs that help you see if your fitness routines are paying off. Also, the game knows the workout value of each exercise within the game, measured in METs. Therefore, when you exercise, the game calculates the amount of time you practiced each activity, estimating the amount of calories you burnt while doing it. By clicking on the Piggy Bank, which used to only keep track of your exercise time, you'll now obtain other important data like the amount of calories that were burnt and the amount of exercise you've done since you started playing Wii Fit. As always, if you workout outside, you can also add up those activities to your stats.

In addition, you can now keep track of your pet's health. Well, it's simpler than that. You can create a profile of your dog or cat, customize their Wii look, and then measure their weight, creating their own progress graph. Weight doesn't tell you a whole lot about their health, but if you keep track of it and compare, you'll probably know how he/she's doing. This is certainly a bit of a gimmick, but having just added a little puppy to my family, it felt good to make him part of the game and have him hang out with the other Miis. If you want your friends to participate instead, they can also create their own profile or simply test the game without creating one. You can even select "Multiplayer," which lets you take turns doing different activities.

As far as presentation, Wii Fit Plus hasn't changed much at all. There are two trainers, the same chatty Balance Board that guides you through the menus, and even the same environments from the previous games and other Nintendo franchises such as Wii Sports Resort. I'm talking about Wuhu Island, a cute, tropical environment that's both inviting and relaxing at the same time. Definitely a good fit for this game's appeal. Sounds-wise, same thing, relaxing trainer voices invite you to exercise in peace, and lighthearted and soothing music achieves for the same effect. However, the more active / fun-oriented the game is, the merrier the music will be.

To sum it all up, Wii Fit Plus is worth the cash. If you never owned the game before, you can buy it with the Balance Board for 100 bucks. On the other hand, if you already have the other game, you can just buy the new disc for $20, which is not a lot to pay for these valuable improvements. Sure, your old Wii Fit game will become a mere drink coaster when you grab the new one, but you can also just trade it in or give it to that niece who just bought a used Balance Board. It's all about being creative, right? My only gripe is that this game is everything the first Wii Fit should have been, and it took a second try to make things right, taking a toll on our pockets. If you're not too mad about that and are willing to shell out the extra money, you should definitely go ahead and improve your Wii Fit experience right now.

By Maria Montoro
CCC Site Director