After the phenomenal success of Wii Fitness, it was to be expected that imitators would begin crawl out of the woodwork. The latest such imitator is Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2009. Some people will know Jillian from the NBC series "The Biggest Loser" where she was the strength trainer and life coach to the competitors, eacg trying to win by losing most weight.

Jillian's a lithe and attractive woman, who we are told used to struggle with her own weight before she found "huge TV su ... more >>

After the phenomenal success of Wii Fitness, it was to be expected that imitators would begin crawl out of the woodwork. The latest such imitator is Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2009. Some people will know Jillian from the NBC series "The Biggest Loser" where she was the strength trainer and life coach to the competitors, eacg trying to win by losing most weight.

Jillian's a lithe and attractive woman, who we are told used to struggle with her own weight before she found "huge TV success", but her website only shows after photos of her, so there's no way of knowing if this is actually true. But there's no doubt that 17 years of martial arts and 13 years of personal training have left Jillian looking toned and lissome. The suggestion is that by buying Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum, you could look the same way.

The game uses the Wii Balance Board of course, plus the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, to offer imitations of exercises such as motion based fitness activities like ladder climb, rowing and monkey bars. The Reebok-Step-like lump of plastic is the key to Wii Fitness, and it is used in the same manner here. Despite its incredible success, Wii Fitness' presentation is a little juvenile in style, and it's likely that the publishers of Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum are aiming for an audience between the kids and mums that Wii Fitness appeals to - younger mums, and older sisters of Wii owners.

The game offers four different workout types: strength training, weight loss, interval training and hill climb, each of which can be set for intensity and duration. Users can also create their own characters, either male or female, and customise how it looks. Then they can track their personal data as they progress through the exercise regime.

There's even a head-to-head party game mode which lets users compete to complete a set of fitness based challenges. Jillian's not just an exercise guru though, so as well as training tips, she dispenses lifestyle hints too, which have to be unlocked through progress in the game.

Any exercise is a good thing, and Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum aims to get Wii owners taking plenty of it - if there are any Wii owners who do not already have Wii Fit! << less