Moms and dads take note: Video games are good for you.

That's right, your kids know what they're doing. They're not sitting in front of the television for hours out of laziness. They're developing their brain, vision and athletic skills. At least, that's the conclusion of a growing number of scientific studies.

A study published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, for example, showed that playing fast-paced shooting games sharpened players' vision. Another journal, Pediatrics, found that motion-controlled games like Wii Fit and Dance Dance Revolution were better for kids than walking. And just this week, a study in BMC Research Notes suggested that playing Tetris improved both brain efficiency and size.

Need a bit more persuading before clunking down the cash for a game machine? Check out these five Friday section-approved video games, all guaranteed to make you a smarter, faster and all-around better person.*

Wii Fit

(Nintendo Wii, $89.99)

Nintendo has made a name for itself recently by being the good-for-you video game company, so one of its good-for-you games leads the list. Wii Fit takes a no-nonsense stance - it doesn't even try to be fun much of the time. Instead, the game and its "balance board" (an electronic scale that communicates with your Wii console) take you through exercises and agility tests. It urges you to work out every day. It tracks your weight.

Having fun yet?

It's not all pain, of course. Wii Fit contains a few mini-games, as well as yoga instruction. Using the scale to chart your weight fluctuations can become oddly addictive. And it's certainly a more diverting way to exercise during the winter months than trudging through snow-clogged streets.

Kodu Game Lab

(Xbox 360, $5)

Microsoft's Xbox 360 has reigned as the "hardcore" console of choice this generation. That means the worst kinds of games - or what parents think of as the worst kind of games - can be found in abundance on the 360. You can shoot people. You can drive fast cars. You can shoot more people. You can play against other people online and call them rude names.

But Microsoft has a warm and cuddly side, too. Just two months ago, it introduced Kodu Game Lab, an adorable game that teaches kids how to program games. You don't have to learn any fiddly programming language. Instead, you manipulate a video game character across an abstract landscape, using symbol-based menus to define actions and add other characters.

If Kodu has a fault, it may be that the cute design makes users underestimate it. The game takes time and patience to master. But for the budding programmer in your house, Kodu could be just the thing. You can't ask for a better price, either - the game can be downloaded for five bucks.

Professor Layton and the Curious Village

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