I can remember when my kids were younger one of the best car games we would take on a road trip was Brain Quest. It was a fan deck of cards that came in various grade levels and subject areas. The questions were on one side and the answers were on the flip side.

Enter the 21st century version of Brain Quest ala iTunes, made for Apple’s iPod Touch and iPhone. (Grade levels available at the time of review: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7)

Players begin by entering their name on the Player’s screen and then choose from 6 curriculum-based categories; English, Math, History & Civics, Science, Geography and Grab Bag, with each category hosting nearly 2,000 questions written by grade-level specialists.

Once students have chosen their subject area, they have three challenge levels to complete. They ‘train their brain’ in the “Train Your Brain” area of game play in preparation to play in the “Rocket Round”.

In the “Train Your Brain” area you can choose from five types of play, Take your pick (multiple choice), Mind the gaps (fill in missing letters), Fun cards (flashcard style), Word Swirl ( word scramble), and The Real Deal (true/false).

As players complete the tasks at their pace, they earn trophies that are displayed on their Trophy Showcase.

Not only did I play Brain Quest, but I had several of my fifth grade students’ play as well. They all felt that the game became increasingly challenging and it kept their interest in wanting to achieve the next level. They also felt that it was user-friendly and easy to navigate the various screens and levels.

Grade Level: Brain Quest is available for grades 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7.

Program Functionality: A / Very user-friendly and easy to navigate between the various levels and screens.

Purpose: B / Works well for review of grade level curricular material, although it is based on national standards and not on particular state standards.

Overall Educational Value: A / This has great value in a classroom setting and would work well for those students who need an extra challenge or who consistently complete their work ahead of the other students.

Cost: $ 4.99

Requirements: Compatible with iPhone and iPod Touch. Requires iPhone OS 2.2 or later.

Recommendation: We recommend this app for personal use but we are not recommending this for schools as we think it is a little cost prohibitive as the amount of learning from the app doesn't warrant this cost.

Creators Web site: http://modality.com/

iTunes Link: Click Here

-- CLykowski