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Review: Wheel of Fortune: 2nd EditionReviewed By: Kirk Hiner Review Date: January 31, 2002
I didn't know this. Apparently, Wheel of Fortune is torching homes and killing Americans. Actually, I guess it could be killing everyone on the planet, but to put it that way would've screwed up the obscure Duran Duran reference. Name the song quoted above and win a prize! Anyway, when I first started up MacSoft's Wheel of Fortune: 2nd Edition, I was greeted with the following warning: WARNING Use of this product continues to be subject to the terms of What's that all about? Is the CD going to spin out of the drive and lop off my head? Is Vanna going to jump out of the game and jab my foot with a pitchfork like the little Ashes in Army of Darkness? I almost threw the CPU into the closet and called 911. Why don't they just threaten to take my children and kick my dog? If I had either, I bet they would. But anyway, once they were done trying to scare the bejesus out of me, the game began and I was able to start the review process, the results of which follow.
Mostly, anyway. The scenes move with greater fluidity, but it still seems that Vanna was just slapped onto the game like a China Buffet magnet on a refrigerator. Her video clips are jerky and pixelated, marring otherwise gorgeous sets. I'm not sure why they chose to use real video here instead of just a computer generated image. They could've then quite easily had her walk about the set and actually flip the letters instead of just appear via the "spaceophone" like in the old Flash Gordon comic strips. Be that as it may, it doesn't interfere with the core of Wheel of Fortune, solving puzzles. There are 2,500 included, which is surely enough to keep even the most avid WoFer (I just made that up, so feel free to use it in casual conversation) busy for quite some time. Considering you usually play four or five rounds a game, that's at least 500 games before it starts to repeat.
Pretty much the whole game can be played with the mouse. You first click on either Spin Wheel (you can't control the speed at which the wheel is spun), Buy Vowel or Solve. You then click on the letter, which can be tricky if you're not paying attention. Some of the letters toward the edges kind of get lost in the perspective, so it's usually wiser to use the keyboard. Although you can backtrack when solving the puzzle, you can't when choosing your letter. All the elements from the game show are there, I believe (I haven't seen an episode since I cancelled my membership to the Fitworks Health Club): The puzzle variations, the video clips of fantasy prizes, the set variations, etc. I especially liked the way the set themes are used in pretty much every facet of the interface. For instance, in the winter theme, incorrect letters freeze and shatter from the screen, while in the Orient theme they're folded up and whisked away in a fan. The sets are garish, just like in the show, but for some reason never annoyed me. Maybe that spinning wheel has a calming, hypnotic effect on me. The movie clips, on the other hand, do get extremely annoying because you can't skip past them. I don't care to see the intro each time I play, and what's the point of watching a video clip of a fantasy prize you don't really get to win? More true to the show, yes, but guess what. I'm not on the show. I'm in my computer room, far removed from attending the Calgary Stampede or the taking $5,000 worth of skydiving lessons over the Mojave Desert.
But I digress when I should repress. Of course, this is all sound and fury, signifying nothing. When it comes to down to it, the only reason people are going to play Wheel of Fortune is to play Wheel of Fortune. I can remember playing a shareware version back on the MacSE and being somewhat entertained by it. We've now got better sound (the audio effects are perfect, save for some garbled speech), better graphics and more puzzles, and the fun's still there. Unfortunately, we're missing personality. I'd actually prefer to see computer generated contestants rather than have a first-person point of view. I'd like to choose my character and watch him spin, see his reactions when he guesses correctly or incorrectly. As it stands now, playing the game is like being locked in an amusement park overnight with the rides left on. There's plenty to do and see, but no one with whom to share it.
But do you know what? As much as I pick away at this game, I have to admit that it's very well done. It flows nicely, it's faithful to the show, and it's very stable. It didn't crash once in MacOS 9, and only once in OS X when the end credits were rolling. Whether or not you'll enjoy it comes down to how much you really like the show. This game and its extra features will not turn anyone into fans, but those who are already are sue to have a good time. Oh, and I did a little more research on the warning presented at the beginning of the game. Seems they're offering epilepsy warnings and repetitive strain and (get this) motion sickness statements. I kid you not, motion sickness. When I read this to my wife, she said, "Maybe they're trying to be funny." Would that it were true.
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Wheel of Fortune 2 once again takes us to the stage of America's Game Show, or whatever they call it. The sets are there, the sounds are there, the lights are there, and the opening vamp is there. The only element not there is Pat Sajak. I still don't understand this. Well, actually, I do. Infogrames only wants to pay one host, and people probably like Vanna more than Pat, so we get her. This was one of my criticisms of the first 
Players have the choice of going up against human or computer opponents. The computer opponents this time around aren't quite as annoying as in the first edition, and they're also not quite as smart. I had one puzzle where we had already revealed something like ALL IN THE _AMILY, and the computer guessed C. It really was that bad. But hey, this game wasn't meant to be played alone, it was meant to be played with friends. Above all other game shows for the computer, Wheel of Fortune is most conducive to playing with a group. You don't have all the contestants crowded over the keyboard trying to buzz in, everyone gets his/her turn. It's more relaxed...well, at least until you've figured out the puzzle and you're waiting for the other contestants to land on Bankrupt or to guess a Q.
Still, the developers did work extra hard to bring you the entire Wheel of Fortune experience. You can take an entrance exam, if you so desire, but be sure to read the instructions to make sure you understand that, "It does not qualify you for appearance on the actual television show." Uh...okay. There are also a bunch of interviews with the people who bring you the show, none of whom are all that interesting. Even Vanna seems overly concerned about making sure we understand she's ugly when she gets up at six in the morning to get her kids ready for school. I wonder if she walks around in her underwear like my dad always did when he came into the dining room to check the temperature. I'll tell you, nothing spoils your bowl of Cap'n Crunch like a half naked, 45-year-old man scratching his butt while claiming, "Oh, it's gonna be a cold one today, Kirky-lerky!"
And hey, why no online multiplayer capabilities here? Seems to me these game shows would be perfect for that. Anyone have an answer for me there? Judy? Al? Glenda?