Wii Fit
Nintendo
Classification: G
RRP: $150 (with balance board)
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Gym junkies might not need the extra motivation but for the rest of us Nintendo has achieved the impossible - it has made daily exercise fun.
Wii Fit comes with a (very solid) balance board that users stand on while performing exercises and playing simple games.
Essentially, the board is made up of two sets of bathroom scales moulded together to communicate wirelessly with the Wii console. It is so sensitive that it can measure minute changes in your centre of gravity.
After registering a character to your profile, Wii Fit calculates your body mass index by asking your age and height, and then weighing you.
You can also complete various tests to receive a "Wii fit age", although this can vary wildly between sessions and isn't to be taken too seriously.
Activities are divided into four categories: yoga, muscle workouts, aerobic exercises and balance games, with results recorded so you can chart your progress.
There are 15 yoga poses to perform, designed to tone muscles and improve posture. Beginners are catered for. Your on-screen personal trainer provides easy-to-follow directions and constant encouragement. Scores seem to awarded for steadiness, and while perhaps arbitrary, provide a reasonable indication of proficiency.
Muscle workouts are the more gruelling exercises - and just like a personal trainer at the gym might demand, including leg extensions, squats and press-ups. Aerobic exercises such as jogging, spinning imaginary hula hoops and dancing are more enjoyable, thanks to the personalised Mii characters urging you on.
Nine balance games will get you heading soccer balls, skiing a slalom, tightrope-walking and swaying to tilt balls into holes. While unlikely to hold your interest for long, these games are fun, more so with a crowd, and whet the appetite for the other snowboarding, skateboarding and puzzle-based games from Wii.
Wii Fit is an expensive novelty for those chasing a giggle but an enjoyable personal trainer for those prepared to put in the hard yakka.
- Review by Jason Hill for The Age.