| Introduction
Industry veterans Telegames take another stab at
the GameBoy Advance market with their latest offering
'Ultimate Brain Games'. The US outfit has been releasing
titles on almost every format for a number of years
now and this latest offering certainly looked promising
when I saw it at last year's ECTS.
GamePlay
'Ultimate Brain Games' is a collection of eight classic
thinking games that most people have encountered at
some time or another albeit under slightly different
names. 'Chess', 'Dominoes', 'Backgammon' and 'Checkers'
(or 'Draughts' as it's called in Europe), need no introduction
but some of the others aren't as obvious.
'Mahjong' is more commonly known as 'Shanghai' in
gaming circles and is basically a game of removing pairs
of matching tiles with the objective being to get 100
percent clearance. 'Four-in-a-Row' is played vertically
with each player taking turns to create a chain of four
counters whilst 'Sink the Ships' is better known as
'Battleships'. Finally there's 'Reversi', which challenges
each player to continually turn over black or white
counters with the object being to dominate the playing
area with your color.
One unique aspect Telegames have added is the 'Profile
Creator', as this not only allows you to add players'
names but also a face to them. This is achieved in a
rather basic creation studio filled with a variety of
props such as eyes, noses and face shapes, all of which
you can mix and match to get the face you like. All
of the games can also be enjoyed as multi-player experiences
using only a single copy of the game, a feature you
should expect but one that is becoming all too rare
these days.
Finally, the save feature is excellent with the emphasis
clearly on statistics and each of the nine game icons
will reveal the number of times played, won and the
overall success rate. It's a great way to judge just
how well you're doing but if you happen to be losing
at everything you can always reset the whole game via
the options menu.
Controls
The interface is pretty much like having all these
games on your PC including drop down menus, which become
accessible at any time by pressing the 'start' button.
Everything else is plain sailing and should you be unfamiliar
with any aspect of the game you're currently playing,
simply click on the help section and a full set of controls
and instructions on how to play the game will be presented
immediately. It's all very slick and it's very difficult
to get lost as everything is intuitive and therefore
very user friendly.
Graphics
Given that the subject matter is basically board
games, it's important that the graphics are legible
and this UGB does well as even the tiniest of details
appear crisp and visible on the GBA's small screen. This
is most evident in the 'Shanghai' section with each
of the tiles showing subtle, but noticeable, differences.
Everything else is as you'd expect, with the graphics
remaining plain and functional as opposed to anything
remotely ornate. There are some nice cosmetic touches
though, such as the animated icons on the main menu,
which are activated as you scroll over them.
Sound & Music
Although I wasn't expecting anything from the audio
on this cart it's actually surprisingly good. There
are the usual minimal sound effects to indicate a move
in the various games but the soundtracks are excellent.
They can be selected from the menu system at any time,
so unlike some other titles, you're not tied down to
a developer-selected track for each game.
Final Comments
'Ultimate Brain Games' is one of those titles that
everyone should have stuffed in their GBA carry case
for a quick cerebral challenge whenever the need arises.
As is often the case, the AI and computer controlled
opponents are rather sub-standard so for a better challenge,
I suggest you play with a friend. All in all, UBG has
something for everyone, and if you're particularly fond
of 'Shanghai', then you'll be pleased to know that UBG
has the best version of the game currently available. So
do your brain a favor and get UBG now.
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