I have recently been trying to overcome my “waapuro-baka” tendencies. That is to say, I can type kanji in a PC but not write them, and I’d like to remedy the situation. This DS game is perfect for you if your situation is similar.
Kanken DS is meant for Japanese natives, and as such there is no English explanation or definition given for any words. What this gamesoft allows you to do is train and test your knowledge of kanji in the following categories: reading, stroke order, writing (when given the opposite word as an example), writing (when given the reading and a radical), writing (from the reading in context), and knowledge of “okurigana” – the hiragana that go after kanji verbs.
There are three modes – test, train, and play. Within the test and training modes the kanji are divided into 10 “kyu” levels, 10 being the easiest. The training allows you to select what aspect of the test you’d like to practice, whereas the test gives you one group of questions from each category. (And you are only allowed to test yourself for advancement once a day.)
You start out without a rating, and by passing tests move up through the kyus. I actually like this system as it gives you motivation to study and rewards success with progress to a higher kyu level. The tests themselves can be taken in 10, 20, or 40 minute doses. For most of the kyu levels you have to pass the test a number of times (covering different kanji) to move past that kyu.
This software is probably most useful to people who already have a good command of Japanese vocabulary and are just looking to improve their reading/writing ability. It would probably be challenging though not impossible to use for low intermediate students. I find it a good drilling tool to improve my abysmal kanji writing ability. It keeps me coming back to it every day or two, whereas just copying kanji out of a drillbook would have me bored in minutes.