Developer: Sharedata
Year: 1987, et al
Genre: Game Show
Platform: DOS, Apple II, Commodore 64

My Rating: 5

Sharedata also released Jeopardy! at the same time as Wheel of Fortune, and like that one spawned many sequels, all virtually identical except more boards, including a fifth follow up that was a sports edition. Also a faithful representation of the show, but bogged down by speed issues.

Jeopardy! is my favorite game show of all time, mostly because there is no luck involved other than if you catch a daily double, which is not entirely luck either. Though one’s enjoyment is likely directly related to their trivia knowledge. And unlike Wheel of Fortune, which often uses timeless phrases, about half of Jeopardy!’s answers come from modern times, therefore an outdated version such at this one is hardly worth playing anymore, even for nostalgia’s sake. If you are at least forty years old, one of these old version could be a fun diversion as your knowledge base would be able to tackle the answers.

Unfortunately, even then, it’s not really worth it. The game is clunky (and of course has those ghastly Sharedata graphics), and a game takes much longer than almost every other game show on any system. It’s also not really fun playing with computer opponents. The score is pretty much because I love the game it’s based on. However, I don’t really play this version any more.