Hey! This conch is for everyone. Don't be shellfish.
--On trying to pick up a conch shell, just another
example of The Island of Dr. Brain's subtle humor

The Island of Dr. Brain is a tantalizing blend of puzzles, straining of all the sections of the cerebral cortex. With multiple difficulty levels, adventure elements, and truly unique challenges, could The Island of Dr. Brain be the first so-called "educational" game that is actually fun to play?

The game starts out by placing the player in the shoes of Dr. Thadius T. Brain's lab assistant. The player immediately learns that Dr. Brain was ambushed in his castle, knocked unconscious and mugged of his plans for a super-secret invention. Little did that fiendishly evil thief know, the good doctor's plans cannot work without a super-powerful battery, conveniently located in only one place in the world--his island fortress. Unfortunately for the player, Dr. Brain was rather paranoid when it came to keeping his inventions safe, so he installed puzzles throughout the island so only those with worthy cerebellums could enter. Armed only with a hint watch (which dispenses hints for those inevitable brain-crashes), a brain, and of course some handy-dandy brain drugs for those hard problems (well, maybe not the drugs), the player is dropped off on the island to find the battery and safely return it to Dr. Brain. Yes, the plot is slightly laughable, but this game is geared toward the younger users of the computer as well as the older ones, so it had to be age-friendly. Lenience should be exercised because of this, so I give the plot a B-.

Though it does have quite a few adventure elements, The Island of Dr. Brain is primarily a puzzle game. Therefore, the quality of the puzzles would make or break the game. And they definitely make it. The conundrums (big word) of the game will utilize all the skills one has learned ... in elementary school. Don't scoff! Though they are derived from simple concepts, most of the problems, on expert mode at least, could stump the brightest. The game wisely avoids trivia, alien languages, and specific knowledge. Instead, it concentrates on common-sense things such as categorizing, map skills, patterns, object recognition, and classic puzzles. The difficulty levels make the game playable for people of any age--novice is suitable for children, while expert could stump quite a few scientists. And there's always your hint watch if you get stuck. There are some problems with the puzzles, however. One or two are far too difficult for children to even comprehend, much less solve (the puzzle where the object is to breed two different aliens to create a unique alien, factoring in the dominant genes and attributes comes to mind). For the most part, though, the puzzles are excellent, so I give the puzzles an A.

The Island of Dr. Brain is definitely a puzzle game. However, it is also an adventure game. It shares a similar console, the commands being look, use/touch, inventory, back a room, item, and room description. Throughout the game, items must be collected and used, though they are usually only used in the same room that they were collected in. When a puzzle is started, the game switches to puzzle-mode, allowing the user to solve the puzzle, read the instructions, or use his or her hint watch. Overall, the gameplay is very stable so I give it an A.

Although the graphics in The Island of Dr. Brain are quite pixelated, they get the point across well enough. Some of the island scenes in the game could even be considered beautiful, despite the 256 colors. The worst part of the graphics, in my opinion, is the insertion of childish figures into otherwise fine screens (e.g., pink lawn flamingos that dance around on a beach scene). Yes, some of the game is geared toward children. But this ain't no Freddi the Fish game. Since parts are definitely geared to older folks, the sometime cutesy effects just don't cut it. Therefore, I give the graphics a B.

There is sound, of course. The music is all MIDI, with a sort of calypso upbeat to it. Though nothing spectacular, the music does set the mood of a desert island quite well. The only character in the game that had a voice was Dr. Brain. And it was a very annoying voice at that. I soon came to dread the moment I would win a puzzle and the horrific voice of the good doctor would say, "Congratulations! You received a bronze plaque." Despite the voice acting, I give the sound a B.

Overall, The Island of Dr. Brain is one of the few "educational" adventure games that I have enjoyed. For any adventurer looking for a mental marathon or a parent looking for a good educational title for their child, The Island of Dr. Brain scores--big time.

The Island of Doctor Brain final grade: B+

System Requirements:
286 or higher
640 K memory
EGA/VGA-256
Hard disk
Mouse
Sound Card