Jeopardy!

UPC: 608610991628

Platform: PlayStation

Publisher: Hasbro Interactive

Developer: Artech Studios

Category: Traditional

Style(s): Game Show

Synopsis: In Jeopardy! for the PlayStation, your goal is to answer as many questions as you can in six different categories. Each category has five answers ranging from $100 to $500 in cash value; answer correctly and the sum will be added to your totals. The second round doubles the money and ends with a Final Jeopardy! category, where players can wager as much of their earnings as they want in an attempt to best their two opponents. Over 3,500 answers (created by the writers of the television show) are included along with video clips and speech from host Alex Trebek. Before playing, you can "draw" your name on the monitor using either the pad or analog stick. Players can choose between either a normal or speed game, with the latter allowing them to go straight to Double Jeopardy! Other features include a high resolution mode, Johnny Gilbert as announcer, Video Daily Doubles, adjustable buzz-in and response times, adaptive AI (the computer opponent tries to keep its score close to the highest scoring human player), and an answer completion option that forms words after you type in a few letters. Find the competition lacking? Not only can the computer's skill level be adjusted from easy to hard, but spell tolerance can be tweaked in five increments from loose to strict. The game will also save question progress and the top three scores to memory card. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Package Contents: 28-page Instruction Manual

Controls: Joystick/Gamepad

The features are all explained as is the actual game, so even if you've never seen the show, you'll be able to understand how to play. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

The high-resolution graphics make this the best looking Jeopardy! yet. You can also change the camera views and zoom-in on the answers if you're having trouble seeing them. Of course, all you're really looking at is a Video Wall, so the graphics aren't very complicated. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Jeopardy! for the PlayStation is the best home console adaptation of the game show released as of 1998, which is great news for those yearning for a trivia-style game on their 32-bit gray box. It also shows the benefits of using the CD medium with a perfect mix of full-motion video clips, speech, and a healthy amount of questions (actually answers) that will keep players busy for months on end. The icing on the cake for fans of the show is support for the memory card to save high scores, options as well as category progress. The biggest surprise is neither the crystal clear high-resolution mode nor the video clips of host Alex Trebek; it's that all of the answers are read by Johnny Gilbert! Once you have heard the speech, you'll never want to play another Jeopardy! game without it. Not only does it help draw you into the game and make you feel you're really in the studio, but it gives everyone a chance to hear the clue before buzzing in. Now you don't have to worry about someone rapidly chiming in as soon as the category is selected. Once Johnny is finished speaking, the first person to hit the "x" button within four seconds gets to enter in the response. A circle of letters will appear surrounding the blue video monitor showing the answer. In order to type in the question, you simply push left or right on the control pad to scroll though the ring. Pressing the "x" button will enter each letter until you are finished (you have ninety seconds to complete the response). If this proves too time consuming, a feature designed to speed things up considerably is "answer completion." Selecting this option will allow words to form as soon as you begin typing in a response. For example, one of the clues is: "April events in this capital include the Georgetown House Tour and the Georgetown Garden Tour." Just selecting the letter "W" shows "Woody" at the bottom of the screen, while typing "WAS" reveals "Washington." Simply press the R1 button and the word at the bottom of the screen becomes part of your answer. Once you're satisfied, hit the triangle button and your response will be entered. This is a great feature since some of the responses can be quite lengthy, although you have to be careful. At first, I made the mistake of hitting the triangle button as soon as I saw the word appear at the bottom of the screen. Consequently, all of my answers were wrong! This is easy to do at first, since your first instinct is to immediately press the triangle button. Yet once you get used to the system, you'll find that entering responses can be done within ten seconds or less. In the end, Jeopardy! "feels" just like the game show and is the perfect change of pace for inquisitive PlayStation owners. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Memory card support will keep track of the categories you've played and save the top three high scores for both the normal and speed games. The amount of options is impressive, as you can make the game harder by cranking up the computer AI, reducing the amount of response time, and/or setting the spelling to "strict." Adaptive A.I. makes the computer "cheat" to match your score -- don't be surprised when it wagers all of its money on Daily Doubles and (gasp) wins. This does make for a close game, however! ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

It is curious that Alex isn't the one announcing the answers, but perhaps he was too busy to record the lengthy amount of speech the game required. Regardless, you can't help but walk away impressed with Johnny Gilbert's work on this game. While Alex is relatively silent, he'll announce the categories and let you know if you're correct. You'll also hear thunderous applause if you give the right response. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

So are there any drawbacks? Well, the sheer amount of voice used in the game is probably the biggest reason why it "only" has 3,500 answers, which is approximately the same number found in the 16-bit versions. Another strange thing is that there are no visible contestants behind the booths, so all you'll see is your name scribbled on the monitor without anyone in front of the microphone! This is a minor complaint, however, since the main view is looking toward the Video Wall. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

the game requires Joystick/Gamepad.