How to get smart with PlayStation

Give your brain a workout with five PlayStation titles that will test your perception, concentration and logic.

Step 1: Build your foundations

You may not have played with building blocks since your early years, but creating - and destroying - structures in Tumble on PlayStation 3 is the perfect way to test your sense of balance and accuracy. Using your PlayStation Move motion controller to lift, rotate and place different sized blocks may sound straightforward, but it gets tricky when the blocks come in different sizes, shapes and materials.

Some levels will challenge you to place mismatching shapes onto a small platform, while others will see you blowing up towers with bombs to spread the blocks as far apart as possible. Tumble is accessible to players of all ages because it works so rationally. Glass bricks can be shattered if put under too much pressure, large ones make ideal foundations and pointed bricks work best on the top of a structure.

How you complete the tasks is entirely up to you, there are no rules - just objectives. It's all about forward planning, logic and arrangement.

Step 2: Think outside the box

Thinking about the consequences of your actions is the best way to find the path to success - weigh up your options and make the decisions that will work best rather than rushing into something. This theory couldn't be more appropriate in SHIFT Extended, a unique minis title available for both PS3 and PSP.

Playing as Test Subject 12378, your aim is simple: find the exit. Each level is split into two areas, which are either black or white, and you move from one to the other by shifting. As you pass between the two, the entire level is reversed. Up is down, left is right, the ceiling is the floor.

This tricky puzzle is one that will really get you thinking, and you'll value options that aren't always visible at first glance.

Step 3: See things in a new way

Once your brain is working hard, why not put yourself into the mind-boggling world of echochrome? The game features a mannequin-like character called the Walker in a series of mazes, and you need to help him find the echoes that also roam these obscure levels. However, instead of guiding the Walker, you twist and turn the maze to manipulate the environment and change his path.

The game is based around five simple laws of physics that allow the Walker to reach new areas of the maze that only become visible when viewed from a different angle. If two sections of the level appear connected, the Walker can stroll between them, and if something is blocked from sight, it doesn't exist.  Basically, if something looks possible, it probably is, and vice versa.

echochrome on PS3 and PSP will not only work your brain but will also reward you for new ways of thinking.

Step 4: Find out how you're getting on

It's always good to assess your progress when you've been working hard, and TestYourself: Psychology is the perfect way to see how you're getting on. This PlayStation Store title, available for PS3, has been developed with psychological experts to give you a deeper understanding of how your brain works.

Evaluate your nervous system and intelligence with fun, interactive tests that will challenge you to recognise patterns, colours, shapes and correlations. Make sure you've sharpened your skills in Training mode before taking a daily test to see how much you've improved.

There are even more game add-ons to download from PlayStation Store - test your memory, attention and social skills and build up a full psychological profile.

Step 5: Keep it up

Whether you're getting fit, learning a new skill or keeping your mind active, the key is to stick at it. And what better way to exercise your mind than with small, snackable titles that you can play on the go?

Denki Blocks is a bite-sized minis title and is the perfect way to give your brain a quick workout. Take on loads of addictive puzzles that challenge you to tactfully manoeuvre colourful blocks around levels to stick them together. All of the blocks move simultaneously, and the levels are packed with obstacles to overcome. Take on over 100 puzzles and keep your mind moving, wherever you are.

Check out these great PlayStation titles to keep your mind active and in shape.

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