Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box

$30, Nintendo DS

Teaches: logic, reading, classification, deductive reasoning

CTR Rating: 96%

CTR Review

Turn your Nintendo DS into a brain teaser paradise, with this second version of the Professor Layton title. You can learn more at www.professorlaytonds.com. Because the game has three save slots, you can compete as a family to see who can master the most puzzles. Just don't tell your child that this type of game is an educational gold mine, with logic puzzles not that different than what they'll encounter on the SAT someday. Everything about this title oozes quality, from the old European background music to the animated clues to puzzles designed to use every ability of the Nintendo DS touch screen. You can rotate keys to test them in various shaped locks, write in your answers with the stylus, or draw circles around the correct answer. Before you solve one of the puzzles, you have to find it first, by exploring an old train, interacting with characters (reading required). There are 150 puzzles in all, arranged by difficulty, plus the abililty to download more using the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection. Fortunately, there's a good hint system, just in case. Created by Level-5, Inc. for Nintendo.