Wii Fit

If you’ve always fancied getting one of those home gym kits that are always in the Argos catalogue and Sunday supplements, then Wii Fit would make an ideal substitute. Without will-power, though, you might want to consider waiting for the inevitable clutch of games to appear that’ll use the potentially excellent balance board in a way that’s just more fun.

You need to know before paying out for (and therefore committing to) Wii Fit that it has to become part of your daily life for it to mean anything. And if you are willing to commit to it then Wii Fit is a loyal and multitalented trainer. [Feb 2008, p.136]

There are a lot of workout tools that claim to make working out fun, but Wii Fit actually pulls it off. Using your weight and balance to control the game is both fun and healthy, but the absence of online play and a party mode combined with a steep price tag puts a damper on the experience.

Wii Fit will help you work up a sweat, but it's not as smooth and fun a workout as you'd probably like.

When judging Wii Fit overall, you're very conscious of the fact that it doesn't achieve anything for its users that couldn't be managed with a little willpower. Worse still, the most entertaining 'games' in the package are the ones that improve balance rather than promote weight loss or muscle tone, which potentially damage its 'good for you' fun credentials further. With that said, it's true that any exercise is better than nothing.

When all is said and done Wii Fit is a product that can help you lose weight as part of a calorie controlled diet, so in the end that's what really matters with a purchase of something like this.

Wii Fit pushes the envelope due to the board peripheral and the notion of healthy gaming, but lacks fat in areas such as longevity – a staple diet of all software, videogame or not.

You can look at Wii Fit in two ways. On one hand it's a pretty comprehensive selection of exercises, cleanly presented and given a novel twist thanks to the board. Alternatively, you can see it as a series of lacklustre tasks that beautifully demonstrate the technical abilities of the board, decorated with the silly lifestyle trappings we're willing to overlook as long as Ninty keep delivering the proper gaming goods.

Wii Fit is a decent package, and it works exactly as advertised. But you may outgrow it quickly. Unless you’re already convinced that you’ll want other balance board games down the line, you’re probably better off just going for a nice, long walk.