User Reviews (11 - 21 of 69)

Show these reviews first:

Highest Rated
Lowest Rated Newest
Oldest Most Helpful
Least Helpful

I loved it - my 10 year old hates it

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: December 31, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I initially selected this game because my son doesn't enjoy anything to do with learning or grammar so I figured 'perfect' - make a game of learning and he'll never know what hit him.

Within 2 minutes of putting this game in he was so frustrated because he didn't recognize any of the words and was getting them all wrong. I told him that I'd try it to see what I thought and I'm hooked. I'm left handed so yes I did have a bit of issue with some of the challenges and the fact that my handwritting tends to 'lean' meant that I had several words marked wrong but otherwise I'm having a lot of fun playing this game - and typically I don't play with the DS at all.

I would say you'd have to have some sort of grammar knowledge or it would get frustrating as it did with my son but otherwise, this is a great game with some challenging vocabulary that not only makes you feel smart sometimes - but even improves your knowledge :)

A great game but

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 7
Date: December 25, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I have to knock off the 2 stars because there is not left handed option. There is a level/stage called "Block letters" Where the DS needs to be turned to it's side like playing "Brain Age" (1 & 2). And for a lefty like me, your arm overpowers the top screen and you can't really see anything so It becomes difficult to play. But since a lot of the levels/stages don't require you to turn your DS sideways, It's still 80% enjoyable.

Indubitably Addictive

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: December 27, 2007
Author: Amazon User

At first glance, this looks more like homework than a game. But if you like IQ games such as Brain Age, this is a perfect way to have fun and learn.

Basically, you go through a series of exercises (which are mini games) which test your vocabulary skills.

The learning curve is simple, and the tutorials take you through the basic game structure in an enjoyable way.

Playing a few minutes a day, trying to top your previous scores, is both challenging and fun.

The only minor complaint I have is the character recognition. In order to play, you have to use your DS pen to write letters, and the game offen confuses letters (such as D for O). But that is probably due to my lousy handwriting.

Bottom line: If you like crossword puzzles, IQ tests, Scrabble, or simply want to expand your vocabulary, this is well worth the money.

Teachy But Fun

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 12
Date: December 27, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I am a big fan of word games and I do enjoy the series of word games in My Word Coach for the DS, but I was a bit bothered by the "teachyness" of the game overall. I've always found that you learn best when you're having so much fun you don't know you're learning. I'm sure the explanations sit well with those who purchase this game with the specific intent of improving skills rather than just for word-game fun, but I would have liked to turn it off and just enjoy the games without quite so much explanation. I felt it put a damper on my fun and, quite frankly, at times it made me want to go play Chicktionary on my PC instead.

What I liked:
-My Word Coach has a fun variety of word games including missing letter, word scramble, a Tetris style spelling game, and more.
-I had very little problem with the system being able to read my letters when the game called for writing them out; only occasionally confusing a U with a V or an A with a Q (A with Q?? How does it confuse A with Q?). Simply writing the letters a bit more carefully solved this problem for me.
-I do enjoy seeing my progress and if you are focused on improving skills, this feature is encouraging.
-The games grow with you, maintaining a level that is fun and challenging based on your own progress.
-Many of the games include simple definitions, so you aren't just seeing new words, you are learning what they mean as you go. With many other word games, I find myself pausing to look up something new, so having the definitions right there in the game is nice.

What I didn't like:
-The lengthy explanations about how the system is tracking your progress and their delivery by a snooty looking professor-like character felt unnecessarily "teachy". After you've played a bit, you can change this character, but there are only two others to choose from and the game still feels like it is talking down to you regardless of which character you choose since the wording doesn't change. I would have preferred more brief, fun explanations.

My Word Coach is fun and progressive. If you want this game just for fun, overlook the lengthy explanations and enjoy the games. If you want it specifically to improve your vocabulary, this is a fun way to do it and the explanations are pretty concise.

An Excellet Word Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 6
Date: January 14, 2008
Author: Amazon User

My Word Coach is another highly addictive game for me. It starts out with 3 basic games that establish your baseline in terms of communicating and expressing yourself. The professor will guide you through a short but detailed tutorial as you progress through the games. He/she will also guide you on how to create your profile and change the professor you wish to monitor your progress (i.e., there are also several female professors). After playing the initial 3 games, you will receive your initial Expression Potential and the category that characterizes that EP (i.e., high school student, university student, etc.). As you get more proficient, more and more word games will be added to the original 3, and additional levels in the existing games will appear as well. By the second time you play, you will have a progress report.

The game (through the professor) will advise you to stop after playing for a few minutes in order to keep the words you have read in memory. This feature is particularly attractive for me because I don't have to keep doing something to improve my results for the day (the EP won't change anymore for that day even if you go on playing), unless I was only doing it for fun. In this case, the game also offers for fun word games like Block Letters, which is an untimed version that allows you to keep making the words on the chalkboard until the blocks reach the top and it's game over. Anyway, I like the fact that you only have to play 20-30 minutes each day, sometimes less depending on how fast and good you are, which allows me time to do this on the commute to or from work or just before going to sleep or even to play other DS games!

There's also a glossary that shows the meaning of various words you type into it, including words you already saw or reviewed during your daily play. I have used this as a dictionary at work sometimes since I always have my DS in my satchel.

This game is highly recommended for high school and college students and older. Those of us in the university crowd, particularly in the freshman to sophomore years, tend to still talk high schoolish, often using words such as "like" all the time. I've found that you kinda get bored on some dates when you keep hearing the other person say "like" every 3 words or so. I won't recommend this game for younger than the high school age group, unless you have an elementary- or middle school-aged kid who would like to be the next Spelling Bee champion. It's a good game for adults, too especially since they sometimes can get bogged down using the same words to speak over and over again.

a fun and educational tool - great for homeschoolers or braniacs

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 28
Date: January 14, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I homeschool my son and he LOVES video games so I am always thrilled to find an educational game for his DS system. Sometimes when I need to go out and run errands he brings his Nintendo DS along and having a game like this can extend his learning time for the day in a fun and creative way.

Truthfully, he would still pick up a Mario or Sonic game over this if he had his choice (what kid wouldn't?) but if I ask him to pick a learning game, he will gladly choose this one. He loves words and has quite an extensive vocabulary already so this game is a natural fit. The easy level was way too easy for him, but the more difficult levels offer some good challenges. He likes the format and the way you can unlock more challenging games.

This game would be perfect for anyone looking to build their vocabulary and word skills.

Fail.

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 4 / 12
Date: March 17, 2008
Author: Amazon User

There may have been linguists behind this product, but they didn't seem to know how best to implement their knowledge. While it might be useful to a foreign learner of English, with such useful advice as, "A verb is an action word in a sentence!", it has some deficiencies that limit it for both native and foreign speakers. Many of the games require you to know the meaning of a word in advance, otherwise you'll simply be playing "guess which meaning is the right one".

Not recommended. Language learning software has tremendous potential, but it isn't even hinted at here.

Fun for ages 10 and up

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 13
Date: January 08, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I decided to give the Nintendo DS word coach a full week of playing (the recommended amount time for each day) prior to reviewing. What strikes me as interesting are those who say the game is too easy. During the first few days this is true, but the game becomes harder and some of the puzzles become "difficult". Some other reviewers have complained about the software's ability to identify the letter you draw with the actual letter - I have some issues, but nothing too major. I would guess that it identifies the letter correctly 90% of the time (and I have horrible penmanship)

The question many parents and teachers may ask - does the game help you build a stronger vocabulary? My answer.... Probably. The game has a large variety of puzzles that require different levels of skills - some emphasize spelling, others word recognition, and yet others focus on strict word definition. After about 3 hours of total game time I feel that it would make a nice supplement, especially for middle schoolers.

The game is fun for all ages but probably most helpful for those 10 and up. I wouldn't stick it in the fun/wow factor category of Super Mario Brothers, but anyone who enjoys word puzzles would definitely be intrigued by "Word Coach".

Final verdict

Fun factor - 3.5 Stars
Education Factor - 4.5 Stars
Final Score - 4 Stars

Fun with Learning even for adults

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: February 22, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This is one of those games that in certain circles you say something about how you really prefer games that can teach you something. Well with this game I think you can actually make that statement and still be telling the truth.

Was this game more fun Mario Kart on the DS? No way.

Was this game more fun than most games on the DS? Yup!

I really enjoyed playing this. I found that most of the words, puzzles and games were not difficult at all. This is ok. If you learn one thing out of every 20 questions or so that is OK with me. I like to know I am not an idiot so a little validation in my game experience is OK with me.

The only complaint I have is often I would not score as high as I thought I should have and it would take me longer to answer a timed question or I would get it wrong due to the hand writing recognition software not recognizing my input. I am sure this is due to the way I am writing the letters and numbers but I did read the directions and it seems that the system has some consistent difficulty parsing my meaning. I don't see this as a complaint that others are raising so it must be mostly me. I wouldn't let it concern you. This is still a great game and I gave it 4 stars and probably would still have given it 4 stars with a perfect writing input featurset.

Great learning game....

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: March 17, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This game is a great learning tool!! While it's not the first game my nephew will reach for for his Nintendo DS when he is visiting, when I tell him it is time to do something constructive, he will reach for My Word Coach. He thinks it's fun, and it challenges him. And it makes him curious, because it introduces him to new vocabulary...so it's a great thing as far as I'm concerned. While it'll never be the Star Wars game, lol...as long as it's fun enough to keep him occupied, it's got my approval!!

Review Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next 

Actions