I always liked this topic, but I was too lazy to try and find the original topic in the archives so I'll just start a new one off with this...
Blankety Blank
TV Board Games, 1998
Box Cover: A
The 1998 version of Blankety Blank (which for those who have no idea what I'm talking about, is the British version of Match Game) has one of the niftier logos I've seen for the format: the show's title (in a cool comic-book-esque font) over a pair of neon shapes (circle and triangle, just like 70's MG, since BB never got away from the MG'7x format). The logo is faithfully reproduced on a gorgeous full-color cover.
Game Materials: A
This ain't your daddy's MG home game: 100 double-sided front game question cards (200 questions), 100 double-sided Super Match cards (whose 200 questions are used for both the Audience Match and the Head-To-Head Match), six scoreboards (each containing either six circles or six triangles; each shape is a spot for a red scoring counter), 36 red scoring counters, 36 gold scoring counters, an answer pad (each sheet has eight spaces to write answers), and a thirty second sand timer (used during writing answers).
Playability: A
THIS is the way to do a MG home game, folks: all players write down their answers during the front game and try to fill their scoreboard with enough red counters to play an Audience Match game (just called the Super Match Game in the rules). The question is read, and everyone has 30 seconds to write down their answer. One person is designated the \"contestant\" for that question, and scores a red counter whenever someone else matches them (the person who matches them also scores a red counter, but they only score once for the question). When everyone has given their answer, a new question is played with another person designated the contestant. This continues until someone has completed their scoreboard, at which point they immediately get to play a Super Match Game for gold counters. The Super Match question is read, and the \"winning\" player gets 30 seconds to come up with an answer (without any help). If their answer is one of the three on the card, they earn gold counters: three for the top answer, two for the second, and one for the bottom answer. After a Super Match Game, everyone clears off their scoreboard of red counters and plays a new front game. As soon as a player has six gold counters, they play the Head-to-Head Match to try and win the game. A Super Match question is read, along with the three answers on the card. ALL of the other players, trying to prevent their opponent from winning the game, have 30 seconds to choose and write down the answer of the three they think the \"champion\" is least likely to select. The \"champion\" gives their response, and if they're right, they win the game. If not, they lose three gold counters, and the game continues.
Overall: A
If I were Endless Games, this is how I would do an American Match Game home game. Might be fun to add in some play money somewhere, but...
(Please note: Britannia Games is the maker of the current Blankety Blank game; it may be different from this edition. I'll see if I can score a copy one of these days...)
\"Game Show Man\" Joe Van Ginkel
