Punters hoping that splashing out on a Nintendo DS might give their brain cells a much needed make over are wasting their cash.

A study of 10-year-old children by the University of Rennes in France has found that titles such as Brain Training, More Brain Training and Big Brain Academy are no better than a pen and paper at stimulating memory and improving brain power.

Nintendo claims the games "stimulate your brain and give it the workout it needs" to improve blood flow and "practical intelligence".  It also says that it can improve memory and keep your mind young.

But the Rennes study found that homework, reading, playing puzzles such as Sudoku and board games such as Scrabble were just as good as, if not better than, the brain training games.

More here.