Hannalore, we bought ourselves the Nintendo with brain age for Christmas a year ago. It has certainly helped me. There are games, tests to find out your brain age, and sudoku puzzles. My brain age is down to 26!! (It started at 70 something) I love all kinds of puzzles, so this really works for me. And I've worked my way through all of the sudoku puzzles.

I think any kind of mental activity can keep your brain sharp - crosswords, sudoku, learning a new language. Also varying your routine like taking a different route to somewhere you go a lot, or using your non-dominant hand for tasks. All of these things make new neural pathways in the brain and can ward off things like Alzheimer's and other dementias.