Hands on with Brain Genius 2 mobile

The word 'genius' has fallen into the wrong hands over the last couple of decades. There was a time when it referred specifically to mental and artistic ability, and only people like Shakespeare could lay claim to it. Now it just means ability, and so men like David Beckham can walk into a room and mumble, "I is a genius" without fear of contradiction. He am a football kicking genius, you see.

Which is why the title of Glu's Brain Genius isn't a tautology. It pays to be clear, particularly since a brain genius is the best kind of genius you can be.

The first game was released January 2007, and our own Stuart Dredge summed it up with characteristic pithiness: "The latest mobile brain trainer is happily also the greatest."

Nothing has changed in the intervening months. Brain Genius is still top of the pile, and so we were pleased to hear of an imminent sequel, and even more pleased when Glu recently let us take a sneak peak ahead of its June release.

Brain Genius 2 once again stars Dr Lababidi, the white-haired academic who compered the first game and blabbers solicitously, Kawashima-style, about the time of day and the frequency of your visits. But aside from him every bit of content is new, including a full complement of 16 original brain-training exercises.

We didn't have time to play them all, of course, but we had a go at determining what sort of leaves were falling in the greatest numbers from a tree in autumn, choosing the playing card that contained the correct answer to a sum, and memorising telephone numbers. The sub-games were all imaginative and neatly presented, if pretty familiar in substance if you're spent any time training your brain on mobile before.

Once again, the game will track your progress and let you know how you're doing, but this time around you'll also be able to compare your performance with that of other users of your mobile on a leaderboard. You can store three users in all, and to each you can attach a photo using your phone's camera.

Like its predecessor, Brain Genius 2 will also contain a couple of extras to accompany the main game, this time in the form of a selection of Sudoku and Crosspix puzzles, and in keeping with the latest new thing there's going to be a touchscreen version for those blessed with the technology too.

So while those of you who've sated yourself on the feast of brain trainers served so far on mobile may not relish yet another course, for those with room for a little more Brain Genius 2 looks set to become the gourmet choice.