Fun, clever, but I can see it gathering a lot of dust (Wii Fit (Wii))

Member Name: mrmojorisin04

Product:	Wii Fit (Wii)
Date:	06/09/08 (20 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Makes exercising in the home fun

Disadvantages: Expensive, BMI measurement is flawed

Wit fit is simple and clever, which is what the Wii is all about. Unfortunately is also gets left to gather dust frequently.

You register initially with personal details - date of birth, height, etc. and then your weight is measured with the balance board, which is pretty accurate, even on carpet. You're then presented with your BMI (body mass index) measurement and an indication of where you fit on the scale, from underweight to obese, and are asked to set a target.

Don't place too much importance on the BMI as it has its shortcomings, especially for children. It can be difficult for a little one to see themselves in the obese section, when they're clearly not. A pound or two either way (which can happen just due to inconsistencies in the weighing by the balance board) can make a huge difference to a little one's BMI as can age. My (lovely, slim, but very tall for her age) 5 year old went from obese to barely overweight in just one day simply by having a birthday and therefore being measured as a 6 year old rather than a 5 year old. This isn't Wii Fit's fault, it's just a limitation of the BMI measurement.

In common with the brain training type games, you can do a couple of balance based activities to find our your Wii Fit age, which is recorded. It encourages you to do this every day, but I'm not convinced by the value of that - a weekly measurement would seem sufficient.

The actual training activities are broken into 4 categories - Yoga, Muscle Workout, Aerobics and Balance.

The first three contain a mix of exercises, with more exercises (and more repetitions) becoming available the more you do. Most of the exercises feel like they're doing good, although some are more effective than others.

There's a scoring system to indicate how well you did on each exercise. This generally works well but obviously the system is limited on how well it can know that you did something - for example some scores are simply based on whether you lifted weight off the balance board at the right time or not. This can lead to an impression that you're doing well, even if the exercise isn't performed properly.

Rather than being exercise, the balance category really contains a set of mini games that show off the balance board - skiing, snowboarding, ski jumping, etc. Mostly, they're a lot of fun.

You get a personal trainer to help show you what to do. I was hoping that it would be clever enough to assess your current goal and suggest a daily routine to help you get there, but it simply measures and encourages (sometimes the encouragement can fell like nagging!).

I think Wii Fit is an ingenious product, and a very welcome addition. I still enjoy using it, but I have to say that most of the family, while very keen initially, now need a lot of nagging to continue using it.

It's also pretty expensive at approx. £80, but I'm hoping that the balance board will see more use in future games.

Summary: Wit fit is simple and clever, which is what the Wii is all about. Unfortunately is also gets left to