The other day on a television channel dedicated to video games that I watch, there was a short segment about the music of Wii Fit Plus. The presenter examined the various themes, those of the various menu screens, and those of the games. She pointed out, for instance, that in the Hula Hoop game, as each hoop is added, so also is added a musical instrument. She also examined the relationship between how well you are doing in the Step Dance and the music that plays.

This prompted me to ask, which musical theme in Wii Fit Plus is your favourite? Which theme do you think really brings out the game, really fits the action perfectly?

I'll start off by saying my favourite is music for the Snowball Fight, although the Penguin Slide is a close second. I think the Penguin Slide music really brings out the game well: the sounds really fit the action.

I like most of the music in the parts I use. The Big Top Juggling music is effective in building pressure - the circus-like music which accelerates as you juggle more balls, and the drum rolls as the helper-Miis get ready to throw you bombs or balls.

In the advanced Step game (I think of this as Step Dance because that's what it is called if your Wii is set to French, like mine), the music is an essential element. I tried to play this once with the music turned off, and it was a complete disaster. My timing was off in all directions, and at one point I found myself so far out of step that I was getting off the board as the other Miis were getting on. All this, and I never actually (used to) listen to the music when I play. The music is there in the background, and I've been actually listening to the music, and I found that there is a beat in the back that matches the timing of your feet, and little clues that stuff is about to happen (for example, listen as you begin the second half, at the faster pace).

And I sometimes find myself humming snatches of the music from Rhythm Parade. This is another good example of how the music helps you play - like Step Dance, it has a background beat that matches the timing of your feet, hiding behind a foreground that conveys (or occasionally masks) information about what is happenning.