Nintendo has recently decided to release more educational games for the Wii. This is a good way to draw in casual (as well as younger) fans, however these types of games can appeal to just about anyone.
Plot
You are a student that is being coached to learn all the words in a dictionary. You must do this, by playing a series of mini-games involving words. A basic plot, and not much to it. I don't find this a big deal, as the game's lack of plot doesn't bother me.
Gameplay
You start the game by speaking with a coach right away, then jumping right into a game. After a tutorial, you play the game. After that you are asked a series of questions to determine your "expression potential". This is how much of dictionary you know. Your ultimate goal is to be at 100 percent. You are also asked questions, such as your birthdate and so on (which customizes your character a little). However you have no in-game face or character, just a symbol. The Mii feature would've been nice, but this game wasn't made by Nintendo so the Miis werent allowed to be used I guess. After this process, you must pick a coach. There is four in all: 2 males and 2 females. Each has a different look, personality and voice. Overall I don't think it matters which you pick, as they don't effect gameplay much. Once this is all done, you can start playing the games.
At the start, you have only one game to play. You must unlock more, based on how many correct answers you get. Each day you play the game, there is a quota you need to fill. Once it's filled, you get an update on what your current expression potential is. You can play games throughout the day still, but they wont improve your potential.
A few examples of the mini-games:
Missing Letter: A word is shown, and there is a missing letter. You must use the remote to spell the missing letter. This game is fun, however the motion controls aren't perfect. Sometimes it wont register what you wrote correctly. There is an erase feature, but the game is timed so sometimes it's better to just let the game count it as wrong.
Safecracker: You get a definition, and must spell out the word that fits it. You have a safe dial which you must turn to the correct letter. The first to spell the word wins. This is the only mini-game which you compete against the computer with. The computer's intelligence is somewhat smart, so you must be quick in this.
Word Cereal: A definition is shown, and you must spell out the word that fits it. There is a cereal bowl with the letters you need in it, you must grab the letters and move them into the correct spot in the blanks. This is a good game, and I found no problems with it.
Each mini-game has a multiplayer counterpart. Some are only for 2 players, while others are for 2-4 players. Playing multiplayer is better than single player at times, as it is more of a challenge. Also, each mini-game has various difficulty settings (which must be unlocked). The controls for games are easy to learn and I had no problems with them (except for Missing Letter, which I mentioned above).
There is also high score tables for single player games, as well as glossary that lists all the words that appear in the game. This is a nice study guide to help you get prepared for the games.
An issue I have with gameplay is that your potential doesn't seem to grow always. I get many right answers, and it doesn't go up after I fill my quota. The other issue I have is the game doesn't teach how to prenounce words. It only teaches you definitions and how to spell them. How can you completely learn the words, if you can't actually say them?
Graphics and sound
The graphics are pretty basic, and nothing too special overall. There is a only a few colors that are used for the game. For games like this, the graphics don't matter much. The sounds in the game are very minimal as well. Besides the coach that talks, there is only a few sound effects during the mini-games. Graphics and sound aren't the best in this game, but that's not the purpose of playing a game like this.
Replay value
With only a little bit available at the start, you must play for a while to unlock things. There is 14 games in all to play (this includes the multiplayer games). Also, there is three difficulty settings for the 6 single player games which must be unlocked. Most mini-games are fun and easy to learn, so this game should last you a while. The game features thousands of words in all, so it wont get repetitive.
I also recommend a similar game for the Wii. It's called Big Brain Academy Wii Degree, which I reviewed here:
http://www.epinions.com/content_387351547524
