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This is the only reason I bought a Nintendo DS...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 17 / 17
Date: May 08, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I should start by saying I've just finished my second semester of Japanese in college and have played this game for a month - just so you know where the review is coming from :D

Everything is in Japanese, of course. But I don't think this should discourage begining Japanese students. At first it was frustrating because I couldn't read the labels, instructions, buttons - nothing. So I went through each section and tried out every button and made myself a 'map' of the game in English. Now that I know what eveything is I can easily navigate to the part I want to work on. The game starts at level 10 (or first grade Kanji). Certain parts are unavailable (if you play brain age you'll recognize the little question mark labels. I assume that, like Brain Age, they'll become available as I play more or become more advanced).

Each Lesson Type has three parts to it. One part gives you a problem and has a little box with the answer so that you can practice. It is not timed. Two other parts gives you a problem and has a little box that will slowly reveal the answer as the timer runs out. One is more of a practice test, just for fun, I think. The other is the real test and how well you do on that affects your overall proficiency percentage. (ie: 80% complete)

The Lesson Types are:
-Writing: the game gives you a sentence with a word or a part of a word written in katakana. It then asks you to write the kanji.
-Stroke Number: the game highlights a stroke in a kanji and asks what number that stroke would be using the correct stroke order
-Number of Strokes: the game shows a kanji and asks for the total number of strokes used
-Reading: the games gives you a sentence with kanji and asks you to write the pronounciation in hiragana

There were other lessons that I wasn't entirely sure of because the kanji level is way above me. I belive they were for testing okurigana and kanji compounds.

A month into the program and I'm very satisfied with my purchace. I specifically bought a Nintendo DS for this software (I was sick and tired of flashcards and endless pages of repetitive kanji) and am very happy. I have definetly seen an improvement in my Kanji (today I actually achieved 100% proficiency in the writing part of level 10!) and my vocabulary as well. It has also helped with my general reading skills, as kanji are presented in sentences.

My only complaint is that the practice sections are not randomly generated, or 'shuffled'. So each time you click on Practice Writing Level 10 you start with the setence that begins "sensei wa" and every time you play you get the same sentences in the same order. I love kanji, but even I don't have enough time to do the 80-something number of sentences in one go. But, you can click foward fairly easily and start somewhere in the middle, or even at the end.

Also, the game does not tell you stroke ORDER. This is very important because one of the ways the game recognizes your kanji is by order. So, if you see a new kanji and can't figure out the order, the game might not recognize what you're trying to say. I only had this problem once (with the kanji for 'thread') and I had to look it up online.

I only gave the game a '3 star' rating for fun because it's not super fun. There's no fancy music or bells or whistles - if you want or need that you might want to try a different game. However, the game is VERY addicting. I am not a SUPER serious student (I want to learn Japanese, I get A's in my Japanese classes, I'm going to Japan - but I'm not majoring in it) but I find myself always wanting to play this game.

Good luck and have fun!

Good for Kanji Practice if You Own a Ds and There's No Alternative

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: November 13, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I would have to almost agree entirely with the person's review above mine. I am at an intermediate level of Japanese and I ordered this game around a month or two ago since I didn't see any other kanji games available for the DS.

When I first tried the game out I had some trouble figuring out what was going on but eventually it was clear that I was presented with katakana(yep not hiragana)that I was supposed to draw the kanji for within sentences. I found that there were plenty of parts requiring knowledge of kanji that I didn't already know even at the lowest levels. Even though I eventually taught myself the kanji I needed for the lower levels and enjoyed doing so, I would've appreciated it if the game had a kanji teaching part to it.

Overall the game is somehow addicting and great for kanji practice, but it is pretty repetitive. I would only recommend this game for those who already have a decent background in Japanese since it doesn't actually teach the kanji; it only provides an entertaining way to review kanji.

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