Wheel of Fortune
(First and Second Edition)
PC
Nostalgia Factor:
I have a surprisingly long history with this game. It came out when I was five years old. I remember my grandpa got a new computer when I was six. Everyone has a computer these days, but back in the 1980s they were very rare. In fact, my grandpa was the first person I knew at the time who got a computer in his own house. As such, I was rightfully fascinated by it. I remember playing games like Willy the Worm, Gertrude's Secrets, King's Quest III, and Snake Pit for it whenever I had the chance. But my favorite game of them all was Wheel of Fortune.
I would play this game for hours on end. Seems like a weird game for a six year old to be fascinated with, but I loved it a lot. I got so darn good at the game. I remember playing against people like my brother and my uncles, and I would beat them every time. They said it was because I played the game so much I had all the puzzles memorized, but that wasn't the case. I mean, maybe in a few instances it was true. But I was natural phenom! Or so I like to think.
I haven't played this game in, wow, a really long time. Probably been a good 30 years at the least. I'm 41 now. Would the game still spark joy in me, all this time later? In a word: yes. Read on for the full breakdown.
(just so you know, I am reviewing the first and second editions as one game, rather than two separate games. The second edition is literally the exact same thing as the first edition, but with new puzzles and an oddly tinted blue background. Aside from that, the two games are identical)
Story:
This game doesn't have a storyline. You play as a contestant on a game show. That's it. I used to make up little stories in my mind for the contestants when I played this as a kid. That's always an option for you if you'd like!
Gameplay:
This game is so easy to play, anyone could do it, even an old grandma or grandpa. I should know, I played against them several times! Each action has a clearly defined button for it shown onscreen. You'll never be like: "How do I spin? How do I buy a vowel? How do I do anything??!!!" because it always will say on the screen what button does what.
You can play against two computer opponents, or up to two real life opponents. The computer opponents have absolutely terrible AI. They make bad guesses, they don't solve when the answer is ridiculously obvious. They are so easy to beat. The only times I ever really lost was when I was having bad luck with landing on a lot of bankrupts or lose a turn spots.
The best way I found to play this game was picking all three players as human controlled and controlling all of them. Otherwise it is a lot of sitting around and waiting, which is never fun for anyone.
If you know how Wheel of Fortune works, you should know how this game works. Three contestants. First one spins the wheel. They guess a letter. If it is in the puzzle, the earn the corresponding dollar amount on the wheel for every letter that appears in the puzzle. If it is not, they lose their turn and it goes to the next player. You can buy vowels. You can go bankrupt or lose your turn. Whoever solves the puzzle banks the money they earned, while everyone else gets nothing for the round. Whoever has the most money banked after three rounds goes to the bonus round.
The bonus round in this game sucks. In real Wheel of Fortune, contestants get R,S,T,L,N, and E automatically. In this game, you can pick five consonants and a vowel - and that's it. So you can pick R,S,T,L,N, and E if you want, but that's all you get. It makes these puzzles pretty tough to solve. I must have played about ten rounds of this game before writing this review, and I only was able to solve one final puzzle.
If you win, your character's name appears on the high score leaderboard. You can pick this player to return as a contestant in a future game, and if you win again, your winnings are added to the player's total. But if you lose, you vanish from the high score board forever. Ouch! But I like it.
Despite its simplicity, this is a very fun and addicting game. I kept telling myself: just one more game. That's it, then it is time for bed! But then I'd keep playing and playing and playing. It is so fun. No wonder I became so addicted when I was a kid.
Graphics:
For such an old game, I love its presentation. The colors really pop. Both the wheel and the letter board are instantly recognizable from the show. The second edition of this game for some reason has a blue tinted background (see screenshot above) and I do not like it. It makes everything look weird. The classic black background is where it's at.
My one complaint? Why is Vanna's hair red??
Sound:
Don't expect anything earth-shattering as far as the game's sound goes. This is a very old, basic sounding game with standard video game bloop noises. The theme song is faithfully recreated here, even though it sounds super primitive. Still brings a smile to my face, though!
Overall:
Despite its limitations. I just can't help but like this game. It looks primitive, it sounds primitive, and some of the puzzles are really, really outdated. But you know what? I still like it. This is one of those games that I can turn on at any time and really enjoy it. Got 20 minutes to kill? Throw on Wheel of Fortune. Games are quick, the action is fact paced, and you'll have a lot of fun in the process.
I can't say that this game is perfect. There are a ton of other Wheel of Fortune games out there that I'm sure have perfected the formula. I'll have to check them out some day. But for me this is and always has been the definitive way to play the game at home. If you are a fan of the show, I don't see how you would not like this.
THE GRADE:
A
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