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The Wii was a cultural phenomenon that destroyed the stereotype of computer games as solo pursuits   predominately played by young males alone in their bedrooms. For the first time since Pong   families played games together, young and old, male and female. But once everyone tired of   playing golf with granny and the family tennis doubles matches lost their competitive enthusiasm, it   was Wii Fit that kept Nintendo's console in the mainstream zeitgeist.

The Wii U now has its own fitness title in the form of the not too imaginatively titled Wii Fit   U. Like its predecessor, the main required accessory is a Balance Board that acts as scales and   uses your weight distribution combined with an accelerometer in the Wii remote to track your   movements. This time around you also have a small device that clips onto your belt called a Fit   Meter. It's basically a pedometer with an altimeter and thermometer that's used to track your   movements when you aren't playing the game.

When you start Wii Fit U, data from the Fit Meter can be synced by pointing it at your Wii   U Gamepad and simply holding a button down. You can then see your activity displayed in clear, colour- coded charts and timelines that show how far you've travelled and how much of that you were   walking, jogging or running for in clear, colour-coded timelines.

To encourage increased activity   there are Fit Meter challenges that compare your stats to tangible real-world things and places, such as walking around the   length of the Great Wall of China or scaling the Eiffel Tower. In essence, it's a simplified version of   other fitness trackers such as the Nike+ FuelBand SE, Jawbone UP or FitBit Flex but with a more   game-centric approach in the ways it rewards your activity.

Another way to monitor and record your fitness gains is by doing a daily body check using the   Balance Board. It shows BMI and weight,   but doesn't take body type into account. BMI isn't the most accurate way to measure if someone   is overweight and without the ability to let the game know whether you are broad or muscular, for   example, it becomes fairly redundant. Having said that, the graphs showing your weight change do   provide a good frame of reference for your progress over time, just don't pay too much attention to   its BMI assessment.

The actual activities range from yoga to repetitive exercises and mini-games such as boxing drills   that really get your heart rate up. You can also custom make full workouts based on how long you want   to exercise or how many calories you want to burn. None of these will prove too challenging for   anyone with fitness experience, but they are all guaranteed to get you sweating and out of breath   if you put your all into them.

A virtual personal trainer (male or female, it's up to you) talks you   through each workout, offering encouragement and form tips. Besides this advice, you can use the   camera on the Wii U's gamepad to ensure you are doing a good job of replicating the proper form   for each exercise.

Wii Fit U will never be comprehensive enough to replace a gym and a proper personal trainer, but   what it excels at is encouraging you to do some kind of daily physical activity. One of the ways   is does this is with its online community where you can share stats with other users. Another is the   constant rewards for playing everyday along with achievements for hitting certain milestones, whether   it's challenges completed or weight targets accomplished, while the Fit Meter does a great job of making being more mobile a fun ongoing game rather than a chore.

Gym-goers who lift weights or hit the treadmill for extended periods aren't going to see any huge fitness gains (though they could always learn yoga from the comfort of their lounge). But if you're intimidated by going to the gym, can't afford a membership or would prefer not to venture out into the harsh winter weather to train, then Wii Fit U is an entertaining way to get active, and more importantly, stay active. Plus, what other games let you steer a sledge down a mountain by alternating pressure between each of your buttocks? Exactly.