SAT Company Developing Test Prep 'Game'

Couldn't they have done this six years ago and saved me the $800 spent on taking an actual Kaplan SAT prep class? Newsweek's own N'Gai Croal, on his Level Up blog, this morning posted the scoop! wherein Kaplan, "will announce that it is partnering with Aspyr Media to develop an as-yet-untitled SAT test prep game for the Nintendo DS." They've even been so nice as to provide Mr. Croal with a mock-up of the game's character and main screen -- the excitement! -- as you see on the left. According to the aforementioned scoop, "'This is not a study break,' Staloch told us last week during a phone interview. 'This is a way to prepare for the test.'"

The game's main character will apparently, "evolve as you play, doing different animations, opening up different customizations, etc." Though still a long way off, the idea of using a DS to solve logic problems sounds eerily enchanting. With some Professor Layton style storytelling, games like this could be a giant step towards new forms of education entertainment edutainment. At very least, this is a great way for more kids to access this kind of help without paying out the nose -- seriously, we just got off the phone with the folks at Kaplan and it's $1099 for the cheapest SAT Prep package. What the hell?! Luckily, kids today will only have to blame their own inadequacies at playing games if their score is too low. In your face, current generation!

Casual Monday: Listening to N'Gai Edition

Though we heartily missed the weekly podcast day post this past Friday, us here at QPHQ want to apologize by offering a new weekly section known as, "Casual Monday." Once a week, on (you guessed it!) Monday, we'll offer you our suggestion for a casual game you should be playing (at least when you're stuck in a lecture/cubicle and have a computer in front of you.)

Our suggestion this week, our inaugural week!, comes from Newsweek's very own N'Gai Croal. Over at the Level Up blog, N'Gai's blaming the chaps from Rock, Paper, Shotgun for putting him onto the ridiculously engaging (and terrifyingly addicting) "Spin the Black Circle." The premise is simple: use the left and right arrow keys to, well, spin the black circle. You have to get your companion cube, er, um, I mean a ball, to the exit - - located somewhere beyond the gauntlet of spinning wheels, shooting flames and tremendous gravity. I warn you now, play at your own risk. It will suck you in something fierce. So much so that you miss the part of the lecture you actually needed to hear. Now, SPIN THE BLACK CIRCLE!