After playing with a friend's Nintendo DS a few days ago, I could not help but come away impressed. You see, the friend is a middle-aged person that's not a game player.

What was he playing? Brain Age 2, a non-game for the portable game player that has its sights set on helping memory skills in anyone that wants it.

The 'game' features quite a few brain teasers that I thought were very challenging. The execution of all of them (especially the Sudoku game) was excellent, and it's another reason why more people outside the regular gaming community opt for gaming systems like the Wii and DS game systems. Nintendo continues to impress me.

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Videogames have taken a lot of flak over the years. If they're not unhealthy and agents of laziness, then they are dangerous by causing people to kill each other left and right. Everyone has an opinion about them, whether founded or not. However, every once in a while a new game comes around that challenges the notion of it as an "unwholesome" activity.

Back in the day it was Tetris. The popular puzzler had everyone twitching at the thumbs. However nowadays there is a new game in town which could make a great stocking stuffer for just about anyone. Brain Age for the Nintendo DS is shaping up to be the next mind tickler. Their target demographic is 40 and 50-year-olds for crying out loud! And having seen the appeal it has on youngsters too (I'm pretty hooked myself), the results suggest that there isn't anyone that can't have fun with this game.

So what is it anyway? Well, Brain Age keeps you focused in order to utilize your cognitive and memory abilities. In other words, it features small games that get you to count, keep track or memorize things while somehow making it addictive and fun. Instead of wrapping up a knit sweater this season, give them something spontaneous that may even do their brain some good.

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