Brainz HD Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

If you are reading this from the UK or have spent any time in that wonderful country then you will be familiar with the quiz show Countdown and the more specifically the numbers game that for many years was hosted by the queen of math herself Carol Vorderman. Well I’m pretty sure that the numbers game from Countdown came first and it therefore appears that Brainz HD was inspired by it.

The challenge in Brainz HD is to use your mathematical brain to calculate a given number by using a different set of six numbers using division, multiplication, addition and subtraction. The challenge is then multiplied by the number of ‘large’ numbers that can be added to your set of 6 numbers that you get to work from.

The entire game is played out on a single screen. The left hand-side of the screen is the menu where you can start the game and choose your options of how many big numbers you want included in your challenge. The centre of the screen is taken up with a large calculator like interface where you will carry out your workings while the right hand side of the screen is the timer which is used when you select the Time Challenge mode.

As you can imagine the Time Challenge mode gives you a time limit to complete the puzzle by while the Classic Game lets your complete the challenge at your own pace. Each time you start the game all the options are available including the amount of time in your Time Challenge game and the number of big numbers that are going to be included in the game.

The calculator interface is easy to use, if not great looking, and while the tendency each time will be to match the number exactly this is not always possible so the aim is to get as close as you can instead.

After each attempt you will get told whether or not you’ve been successful and if not what the correct solution is. Your statistics are also tracked so you can see how many successful puzzles you’ve solved and how far away you are on average.

It would be nice, especially with the additional real estate of the iPad, to have a two player option where two players could race each other to solve the same puzzle but the current version of  Brainz HD is single player game only.

If you are a fan of Carol Vorderman, Countdown or mathematical puzzles then at 99 cents this could be the ideal, if not only, game for you as it’s limited offerings is not going to appeal to the mass market.

The Good

• Great for lovers of Countdown
• Simple gameplay

The Not So Good

• Single dimension math puzzle game
• Limited options
• Graphics

Price: $0.99 (iTunes Store Preview)
Released: Apr 01, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.0
Size: 2.5 MB
Language: English
Seller: Luke Rogers
© 2010 Luke Rogers
Rated 4+
Requirements: Compatible with iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.2 or later.