In four days our teenage children have not switched on the TV. They have been glued to Dr Kawashima's Brain Training, a bundle of games played on a Nintendo hand-held console, the DSLite.
The games have been inspired by and developed in association with Ryuta Kawashima, a Japanese neuroscientist who has extensively researched how brain function can be improved in people with Alzheimer's and dementia.
The research has shown that reading out aloud and doing simple maths can significantly slow the deterioration and even improve the mental health of patients.
The bottom line: the brain is a muscle like any other. It will deteriorate if not used. Use it or lose it.
Kawashima has written books based on his research and has formulated techniques to improve our brain power.
From his research, Nintendo developed Dr Kawashima's Brain Training which, to quote www.braintraining.com.au, is a "treadmill for the mind". The website serves as Australia's link to Dr K's Brain Training.
The South African site is at www.whatsyourbrainage.co.za. On the sites players can register online and pit their scores against other players and participate in the Brain Training global community.
It is a big community, says Matthew Grose, general manager of Nintendo South Africa.
"The Brain Training games have sold 27 million worldwide. Nintendo has sold 80 million DS consoles worldwide - that is two and half times the number of Wii consoles."
Brain Training is Wii Fit for the brain, Grose says.
The console comes with a stylus. DS stands for Dual Screen. The unit may be adjusted for left- handed players. It can be set up with profiles for up to four players. The history - and scores - of each player are kept beneath each profile.
There are a number of Brain Training editions out in the world market, but South Africa has only the first edition, Dr Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain?
Editions available abroad include More Brain Training, Maths Training and Sight Training.
The first edition of Brain Training, which was released in South Africa in February, contains about 140 hours of playing time, says Grose.
If one were to play 15 minutes a day, it would take about seven months to go through all the games.
As one progresses, so additional levels open up. The deeper one goes, the more interesting it becomes.
There are puzzles, brain teasers, riddles, number twisters, word plays, more than 500 Sudoku games and other diversions to help keep the brain in shape.
For starters one does a brain test. Most people perform badly first time around and attain a score of around 80, says Grose.
This is partly to do with the programme needing to get in synch with the user.
When using the voice-recognition facility for the first time, the console may not "understand" the voice and handwriting of the player.
Regarding the voice, noise may be present that confuses the machine. To combat this, the user is asked if he or she is in an environment where it is easy to talk.
If the user is in a noisy environment, the programme will crunch out a game in which no talking is necessary.
If you are in a quiet place, you can then "talk" to the machine.
A starter game involves a sequence of words of names of colours - for example, yellow. The user has to call out the colour on the screen - not the word. It may say "yellow" but it appears in red letters. The player has to call out "red" - not yellow.
From this simple game, one proceeds to more complicated tasks as set out by Kawashima.
Grose says the doctor's name as a prefix is important. There are numerous copycat applications on the market, but Dr Kawashima's Brain Training is the real deal. Nintendo began with a game called Brain Age in 2004.
A year later, Kawashima was brought on board to get the programme up to speed and it morphed into Brain Training.
I put it to Grose that Brain Training is a techno version of the books and almanacs that contained a collection of brain teasers, puzzles, and number games.
He agrees the concept is similar to the books we used to buy to pass the time on aircraft, trains and buses.
Brain Training is an enhanced version, rooted in research by a respected scientist and offering interaction and engagement one is not likely to find in a book.
The console is Wifi-enabled and can therefore connect to the Internet. It has Bluetooth, allowing your console to "talk" to other consoles, and players can play against each other.
These are great features and the application is easy to hold and tuck away in a pocket, but it comes at a price.
The console costs R1 799. Brain Training Edition 1 is a further R399.
The console is a game-dedicated unit only. It cannot be used for email or as a phone.
Although there is only one available in South Africa, about 100 other games are compatible with the console.
The games are well designed, fun and addictive. The console may be expensive, but with more than 140 hours of playing time, it provides a lot of value for money.
Parents with youngsters who are reluctant readers should jump at the opportunity to get them switched on.
A lot of reading is used in the programme as one follows the instructions. Reluctant readers will not realise how much reading they are doing.
It is also great for seniors, to keep their minds ticking along.
We got our children to give their grandparents a demonstration, and they were captivated enough to want to buy their own Brain Training.