Do silicon chips make us dumber or smarter? Is the calculator robbing the next generation of the ability to do basic maths in their head? Are video games rotting the nation's collective brain? That's certainly an arguable case, but there are many pros to consider here.

The Internet is one Hell of a learning resource. And, increasingly these days, there's software which expands your brainpower. Even a handheld gaming console like the Nintendo DS has a brain training title, which aims to sharpen your mental acuity via a series of puzzles and tests. And on the PC we have the likes of MindGenius Version 2.

This effort has nothing to do with questions or tests - it actually revolves around the concept of mapping. Essentially, this is the process of constructing a visual map of keywords which link or connect to each other. This has two major applications: memory and barnstorming. Brainstorming, sorry; there are no biplanes covered with hay here.

It's easier to illustrate this with examples. In the memory department, let's say you're revising for a French exam. You can construct a map which covers topics such as verb endings, or words used when shopping, with expandable branches which reveal the English translation. Then you can test yourself, checking if you're right by opening the branches, and the overall flowchart-style layout on-screen helps you to absorb the information visually for easier recall.

Everything is done with short keywords that are easy to remember. Another case in point is learning a speech: you examine the full script, pick out the keywords for each paragraph and place them in connected boxes on-screen. Bold colours can be used and graphics inserted to help make the map even more memorable.

The same map system can be used for brainstorming purposes. Say you're writing a novel, the idea is to create a map which has branches that cover key characters, themes and plot events. By putting this down in visual form, you may spot links between these elements that you hadn't considered before, possibly giving you new ideas or insights.

In practice, making your own maps is a straightforward task. Keyword boxes and branches from them are added with one click, and elements like text sizes, fonts and inserting pictures are handled using simple menus. Useful extras are included, like a spell-checker and auto-colour function (which will randomly add colours to a plain map if you can't be bothered).

The interface only falls down on the help front, which isn't particularly well written, and is crammed into a corner window that makes it a bit of a strain to read. Fortunately it's not a complex program anyway.

In the end, MindGenius is easy to use but a little gimmicky. The software's potential help on the brainstorming front is unconvincing, as that's the sort of thing you could do on scraps of paper anyway (albeit in a less organised manner). Colourful and reasonably slick-looking memory maps, however, are simple to produce and worthwhile, particularly for revising students, who can also embed answers in collapsible branches to test themselves.

It's a touch pricey considering that it's a pretty basic program, but the theory behind memory maps is sound, and MindGenius does facilitate the easy production of charts which can be used as effective learning and organisation tools, whether you're revising, memorising a speech or putting together a book report.