After working through a number of the My Word Coach games on the Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii, I have become quite familiar with the franchise and the educational interest the franchise has in mind for the audience. I experienced education in virtual form that taught me about French, Spanish, and even English. What made those games enjoyable to play was the ability to use the stylus or Wii-mote to select answers on the screen. The interaction added another element to an otherwise boring genre.

When I was assigned to review My Spanish Coach on PSP, I began to really wonder just how Ubisoft would perform a transition from an interactive platform such as Nintendo, and keep the game fun during play time. While the transition maintained the same level of learning abilities, the ingenuity and entertainment values were definitely lost slightly along the way.

My Spanish Coach is a game that does just that. The player is taught, through a series of text-based instructions and mini-games, about the basics of speaking the Spanish language. When the game begins initially, the player is tested on their Spanish speaking skills, so that My Spanish Coach would know exactly where the player sits in terms of experience. Once the test is complete, the real educational fun begins.

The game guides you through a series of progressively more difficult levels. These levels are broken up into themes on a visual map of Central America, with each theme revolving around colors, numbers, etc. During each level, you must obtain a certain amount of points before you can progress. Now, keep in mind that the levels I refer to are not like those found in platformer games or side-scrollers.

These levels are all text-based, and are definitely nothing special to view on the lovely PSP screen. Once the instructional section is run through, the game will have you dive into a couple mini-games to test your newfound skills. These mini-games also contribute to your current level status. In a way, working through the levels to get to new words and phrases can feel like dungeon grinding through your favorite RPG.

In all, there are eight different mini-games to test your Spanish-speaking skills against. These games can range from the traditionally expected multiple choice mini-game, to the slightly more intuitive “Hit a Word,” which derives from the well known “Whack-a-Mole” classic. Luckily, My Spanish Coach keeps the mini-games on a varying sequence, so that no single game will get too overly repetitive.

While the game lacks a certain starry-eyed visual appearance that we all expect these days from a video game, My Spanish Coach still does a good job of teaching the player the rules and ropes of a new language. Luckily, you are only expected to practice for minutes each day, so that the repetition and lack of visual stimulants do not bother you quite as much. The touch screen and motion sensing controller help make a game like this much more enjoyable to play, but the execution still works with My Spanish Coach on the PSP.

Gameplay: 6.0
Learning a new language can be quite fun, and quite challenging at times. My Spanish Coach attempts to make this process a little more enjoyable, and a little less difficult.  

Graphics: 4.0 
There is nothing to praise in regards to the graphical capabilities behind My Spanish Coach. That being said, this is also not a game that is meant to catch eyes or drop jaws. It is meant to teach, and does exactly that.

Sound: 5.0
In terms of audio, the most important aspect has to be the ability to hear someone say the words that you are asked to learn. Beyond this, the sounds within My Spanish Coach are not worth noting.

Difficulty: Medium
Because the game tests you initially, your Spanish skill level is set according to your abilities. This feature helps players avoid going through words or phrases that they might already be familiar with.  

Concept: 7.0 
Educational games are on the rise. The key is figuring out how to make them enjoyable and appealing to the consumer. My Spanish Coach performs well conceptually, but needs to improve on the attractive side of things.

Overall: 6.0
If you have a desire to learn a new language, or even test yourself and see exactly how much you know, then My Spanish Coach can definitely give you a hand. While not nearly as fun, or interactive, as its Wii and DS versions, the PSP version still functions well enough, although the presentation could be vastly improved.