Sequels can be a tough beast. Making the sequel too different from the original and you get chided for straying too far from what made the game successful in the first place. On the other hand, sticking too close to the winning formula causes cries of unoriginality. Brain Age 2 manages to prevent missteps on both sides of the sequel line, providing a game that is structurally identical to its predecessor, but with enough originality in the new puzzles to make it worth a purchase.

In this case, “structurally identical” is no exaggeration as Brain Age 2 follows the winning formula of the original right down to the fonts and menu colors. The premise is a simple one. Partaking in daily puzzles exercises your brain and causes blood to flow to areas you might not use during the course of your daily life, unless you a) work in retail and constantly have to make change or b) repair broken, mirror imaged clocks. Repeatedly exercising these areas of your brain makes it work more effectively, thereby lowering your Brain Age. A Brain Age of 20 is the ideal, with 80 being the upper limit. As the title suggests, Brain Age 2 is meant to be played for a few minutes a day, mainly enough time to take the Brain Age test, see how stupid you are, and complete a puzzle or two. Along the way you can also play some Soduku, or play a newly included version of Dr. Mario.

What is new about Brain Age 2 is the selection of puzzles used to alternatively challenge and stymie your noggin. The puzzles seem a bit more difficult this time around, no easy reading comprehension for you, and provide a genuine challenge. Some, such as the Change Maker, which tasks you to provide change from a set amount of currency, can be done with relative ease. Others, such as Word Blend, which asks you to write out the three distinct words all spoken at the same time, or Calendar Count, which requires a supernatural knowledge of calendar workings, can leave you feeling like you’re one brain cell away from a complete system shut down.

Even the puzzles used to calculate your Brain Age, some of which are not available for training, can be difficult. Sure, playing Rock-Paper-Scissors is easy when you’re trying to determine what object to throw down to win, but try deciding which one to throw to lose. Now do it with a time limit, knowing full well that your children may use your resulting Brain Age as an excuse to have you committed. Not so easy now is it?

Along with a greater challenge, this outing’s puzzles also use the touch screen and speakers to a greater degree. The handwriting recognition feels a little better this time around, however you’ll still have to write characters the way that the game expects you to, lest you always get your “I” character mixed up with “L” or your “4” not recognized at all. Even with these quirks, the handwriting recognition is still some of the best available on the DS and makes the Soduku portion of Brain Age 2 a joy to play. With 100 Soduku puzzles and one of the best engines out there, Brain Age 2 would be worth a purchase for the Soduku alone.

As with most of the other games in the Touch Generations line, Nintendo makes it easy for those without their own copies of the game to get in on the fun. Up to four profiles can be saved on one cartridge, allowing you to see how much Grandma is kicking your kiester at Memory Sprint and up to 16 people can compete on speed trials of the various puzzles all from one cartridge. Granted, getting together 16 people that have DS’s may be a bit of a hassle, but once you have your throng in attendance, you can finally show them who is the greatest Height Calculator of them all.

For 20 bucks, it’s hard not to recommend Brain Age 2 as there’s a good selection of puzzles, a great Soduku engine, a fun albeit simplified version of Dr. Mario, and a clean and inviting presentation. Those new to the series or new to gaming in general may be better served by the easier puzzles in the original; however those up to the challenge or those who have exhausted the previous version’s offerings will find more of the same great puzzle madness. It’s never been so fun to feel so stupid.