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.com ---- For those of us who remember playing Jeopardy with the metal clickers in the family room, this software makes that board game seem as ancient as a horse and buggy. Alex Trebek is now in full-color, 3-D motion, swooping down on the screen to tell you if you've answered correctly. (And, to be sure, he's come up with every English-language variation on "yes", "no," and "correct.") The board of dollar-a choices jumps out at you--indeed, the graphics and game design itself--making this game engaging, challenging, and terrific. There is a caveat to this software, though: players need to have a good sound system, since the answers that the other computer-sponsored players provide is only by voice, not in text. If you're taking this game on an airplane, for example, make sure your headset can support the volume you need, or you're likely to wind up frustrated, wondering who was the third emperor of Japan? Unlike a game such as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Jeopardy plays it straight. So upstanding, in fact, that the other contestants have voices like the kind you hear making announcements at the airport or while you're waiting on hold on the phone. The overall tone matches that of the television show, since the contest questions are of a highly challenging caliber and Trebek is known for his straight-laced, college-professor delivery. The software seems to acquiesce just a tiny bit to the present day, providing questions on recent rock lyrics, for example. To that end, we did wonder why there were so many questions concerning celebrities. In a matter of only a couple of rounds, we had three answers whose questions were: "Who is Madonna?" It seems a subtle way of making new players feel better about their intellectual muscle, since, let's face it, we missed the question on Genghis Khan. Educational and of a high caliber, Jeopardy deserves a spot on the shelf of every game show enthusiast and show fan. Parents and kids can spend time together, all the while learning about the myriad subjects this show has covered since its inception in 1964. --Jennifer Buckendorff From the Manufacturer --------------------- The number one TV quiz show in America is playing on your PC better than ever. Now, for the first time, feel like a contestant on the TV show. Experience the glamour, the pace, and the excitement from the contestant's point of view. You definitely know the answers--they are right there in front of you. But do you know the questions? That's the challenge! Each round of play features the familiar Jeopardy! game board that has six thought-provoking categories and thirty challenging answers. Be the first to give the correct corresponding question, and add cash to your total. New answers and categories, specially written and never before seen on PC games, plus 3-D graphics, sophisticated artificial intelligence, and great music and sound effects make the Jeopardy! game experience better than ever. Don't just watch Jeopardy!, be a contestant with Jeopardy! Features: * Classic game with a new approach * New Video and Audio Daily Doubles * "Smart AI" adapts to all levels of play * Audition before show evaluates player and adjusts initial level of play * One to three players P.when('A').execute(function(A) { A.on('a:expander:toggle_description:toggle:collapse', function(data) { window.scroll(0, data.expander.$expander[0].offsetTop-100); }); }); Review ------ Admit it - you watch Jeopardy! Whether you make a point of tuning in regularly or get stuck watching it as you surf by, everyone tunes into this trivia game show. When I was in college, Jeopardy! was something of a spectator sport in my dorm. It usually involved (doesn't everything in college involve ?) and a lot of shouting. When I graduated and started living on my own, I realized I could watch it and actually hear what the contestants were saying. Jeopardy! is one of the only game shows that actually forces contestants to use their brains - and I mean really use their brains. In case you've never seen Jeopardy!, it's important to know the game's twist. Instead of contestants being asked a question and providing answers, the board contains 30 answers, and contestants must give their answers in the form of a question. In fact, on TV, if answers aren't given as a question, they're considered incorrect. The object of the game is to provide questions to as many of the five answers in six different categories as you can. As you progress from the top of the board to the bottom, the answers get tougher, and the prize a gets higher. The contestant who gave the last correct question controls the board, but once the answer is given, all three contestants have a chance to buzz in. Jeopardy! actually makes a very robust TV-to-PC translation because it's basically a trivia game. The more you know, the better you do. Hasbro has done a very good job bringing the look and feel of the TV show to your computer. The board looks exactly like the one on TV, and the sound effects and music are identical. Best of all, Alex Trebek is here to host the show. Starting gameplay is a snap. The emcee invites you to choose your options, select the number of players, and you're off. In addition, a sub-options-menu lets you choose buzz-in time, response time, skill level, and so on. One important option is spelling tolerance. Since the game doesn't contain any sort of voice re, you must type your answers in. Loose tolerance (the default) basically means you must get the first four consonants correct. You must be very careful typing in your answers because even on loose tolerance, I didn't get several questions correct because I misspelled them. If you're playing by yourself, the computer provides two additional players. It's kind of weird playing a trivia game against a computer. Really, you expect the computer to be correct all the time, since it has all the answers right in front of it, so to speak. However, the Hasbro AI is surprisingly lifelike and makes the same kinds of mistakes a human would. Your skill level setting determines how aggressive the computer player will be (as well as the board difficulty). A hard skill level will make the computer players buzz in quickly and answer most questions correctly. An easy skill level will make the computer players buzz in slowly and give a fair number of incorrect responses. In addition, the AI is adaptive. The highest-scoring computer player will challenge the highest-scoring human player by buzzing in more aggressively and answering more questions correctly. I found when playing that, although I preferred the easier board, I had more fun if the computer players were more aggressive. Although Alex Trebek doesn't have a patch on that goofy guy from the You Don't Know Jack series, it's fun to see him popping up all over the place. The FMV bites of Alex are integrated seamlessly in the game, but because you're really just playing a trivia game against the computer, his presence is little more than window dressing. Still, he has some excellent responses, and - because they are taken out of context of a living, breathing TV show - some are absolutely hysterical. One of my favorites, in response to an incorrect Final Jeopardy! question, is: "Sometimes... you get a tough one." Or, when you're correct: "To be sure!" The graphics and sound are exactly as you'd expect - exact replications of the TV program. There is a certain childish glee that came over me as I ran my cursor over the board and listened to it beep at me. The only irritating thing was the constantly changing camera angles. At first, you're sure you've hit some button or that the game has changed in some way. Again, this mirrors the TV show, where the camera constantly shifts from contestants to Alex to the board. While it certainly heightened the reality of the port, it was jarring until I got used to it. Unlike the You Don't Know Jack series, which is designed for the attention-deficit computer player, Jeopardy! games are long. I found I could rarely make it through an entire game (Jeopardy!, Double Jeopardy!, and Final Jeopardy!) without wandering off, checking my e-mail, or answering my phone. It was much more fun when a group of people congregated in my office one afternoon. As with the TV show, shouting out your answers is much more fun with a crowd than all by yourself. All in all, Jeopardy! is a good computer game. Whether you've always dreamed of being on the hit TV show, love trivia, or just love Alex, it's sure to please. --Nicole Freeman --Copyright ©1998 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited. -- GameSpot Review Jeopardy fans will appreciate this new CD version of TV Jeopardy! Using a simulated TV set players are positioned at a set of realistic score posts. They compete against the computer, up to two other family members or friends, or over the Internet to answer up to 3,500 challenging questions. Kids can pick from a wide range of topics like Robin Williams Films, 5 Letter Words, Novels and Sports Nicknames. The video and audio features are excellent, and players will love trying to answers questions as they progress from Jeopardy! up to Final Jeopardy! A solid base of trivia knowledge is a must for this one. Teaches: trivia, movies, geography, science, music, sports and more Age Range: 12-up Copyright © 2000 Children's Software Revue -- From Children's Software Revue® -- "Subscribe Now!" ( https://secure.tradenet.net/childrenssoftware/csroffer.html ) See more ( javascript:void(0) )