We're playing mindgames with you, or are we...?

That's a relief. It's about time the retired, PS2-owning, board-and-card-game-lovin' Japanese ex-pat demographic got a break. Hey! Wake up! We've got a game for you. Yes, we'll wait for you to find your varifocals...

Here, in all their clumsily translated glory are fifteen games designed to test your noodle. Alongside familiar 'faves' like chess, draughts, four in a row and backgammon you'll find a curiously dry selection of card games, variations on Mahjong and counter-based strategy games.

Purely thanks to chess and backgammon, it's hard to dismiss Ultimate Mindgames. Visually though, this has all the vibrancy of a communal living room in a nursing home - but maybe that's the point. It wouldn't do to overstimulate the residents, now would it?

Lo-fi production values and patchy quality makes this strange games compendium a less than stellar option.