Game Show Based Games

So far I haven't found a game show based game that I really like. My guess is most of these games are aimed at people who are huge fans of TV game shows, and I'm at most mildly interest in game shows, rather than a ravenous fan. Here's some of the PC versions I've tried out:

Jeopardy! 2: A fairly decent version of the game show, though answers are multiple choice rather than fill in the blank. I found the multi-player mode worth while, and it allows you to choose the strength of your computer opponents. As far as I could tell, you do not actually compete for buzzing in first, which was a little odd. I actually found this PC version much easier than the real life version, probably as a result of the multiple choice based answering format.

Family Feud III: Dream Home: This was the game I enjoyed most in this genre to date. It allows you to purchase furniture and decorate a "dream home" with the points you earn through game play. Some improvements it could use are a computer opponent option in multi-player mode and the ability to actually arrange the furniture in the home rather than simply pick which room some items go in. The single player mode was actually fairly enjoyable in my opinion.

The Price is Right: Not being a huge consumer in general is a bit of a handicap for playing this one. I found the three strikes and you are out annoying, and the prices, at least on grocery type items seemed to be set unreasonably low, although that might be do to today's inflation rate for the most part. Nothing about this game stood out to me as a potential redeeming feature.

Wheel of Fortune 2: Fairly exact mirror of the game show. Main problem I had with it is due to currently being prone to vertigo, the game play itself wasn't so bad, since there are usually other things to look at then the wheel, but the main background in all the menus is a spinning wheel. I'd love an option to turn that off. That said if you are a fan of the show you should really enjoy this version. I do wonder if version one includes the buying prizes while the camera zooms around among them, when I used to watch it as a kid (I had a parent who was a fan) that was my favorite part, and I think the show should bring it back. True to the current version of the show, the puzzles range from fairly obvious to completely obscure. Fans should be happy with the level of fidelity to the show.

The Hidden Object Show: Not actually based on a game show, this is a hidden object game with the added element of a game show type format. I found it really, really annoying. Every click is applauded or booed depending on whether it is a correct one or not, and the talk show host seemed designed for maximum annoyance and smarminess. The various bonus play modes do have some potential for fun, but the whole thing would benefit from being played on mute. Or jettisoning the game show format. Which kind of defeats the whole point. To allow some credit, it is a fresh concept, or at least a fresh hybrid of older concepts, and the version I played was still in development. Perhaps a less annoying version will appear.

For me, I have yet to find a game show format game that I'd wish to own, let alone buy. I guess part of the problem is that all the prizes are virtual. Perhaps if the prizes did something... unlocked mini- games, screen savers or the like I might find the games more intriguing. But then again, I'm not a game show addict, so they may be worth getting if you happen to be one.