As SAT scores have fallen lower than a cess-pit in Welsh coal mine two of the country's largest test course providers are teaming up with game makers to make revising a bit more interesting.

Aspyr Media "futureU" PC game, designed with Kaplan is designed to help students study for the SATs using simple math, reading and writing games. A portable version for the handheld Nintendo DS is expected to be available in mid-October for $30 and a downloadable version is also in the works.

Meanwhile, Princeton Review is working with France's Ubisoft Entertainment SA. Called "My SAT Coach" and available for the Nintendo DS, it is due to go on sale this month for $30. It includes timed drills and more than 2,000 practice questions, as well as two full tests.

Kristen Campbell, director of Kaplan's college prep programs, said that as video games, along with social networking sites like Facebook, become a larger part of students' lives, it "makes sense to take its curriculum and deliver it in a fun way.

In "FutureU" players customize a stick figure-like character with some very basic attributes, then jump into games like "Glyphs". Then there is a vocabulary booster that splits complex words into their roots to help people figure out their meaning.

"FutureU" also includes games based on test-taking skills, such as eliminating obviously wrong answers and skipping questions that are too difficult.