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From: slg@ukma.UUCP (Sean Gilley)
Newsgroups: net.games.video
Subject: Trivial Pursuit -- The Video Game (!)
Message-ID: <2373@ukma.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 13-Nov-85 09:47:44 EST
Article-I.D.: ukma.2373
Posted: Wed Nov 13 09:47:44 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 14-Nov-85 07:34:55 EST
Distribution: na
Organization: U of Kentucky, Mathematical Sciences, Lexington KY
Lines: 140


     I hit the old arcade again yesterday after months of  ignor-
ing  the  poor  thing,  and what did I find?  A `Trivial Pursuit'
video game.  Being a fan of the board game, I went over to take a
look.   With just a slight glance I decided to try it. (Expanding
the mind you see...)

     So I stuck my token in.  A quick glance at the  high  scores
showed  three  people with scores of about 600,000; the rest with
scores of about 20,000.  The game is simple to play.   First  you
choose  one  of  four  characters to represent you on the playing
board... yes there is a playing board.  The board is rectangular,
with  various  catagories  marked by certain squares.  In each of
the four corners is a square that allows you to try for  a  ``Pie
piece''.   If  you  get  all  four, you ``win''.  But I'm getting
ahead of my story.

     I choose the last pictured character on the screen; a  roman
gladiator  type.   The  machine  started me in the upper lefthand
corner, and showed the two squares I could move to.  You move  by
pressing one of two buttons, depending on which way you desire to
move.  I pressed the button that allowed me  to  move  clockwise.
My  little  character moved to the left, but he himself was split
into two parts -- his back half moved first, and then his  frount
half!

     But that was ok.  Now it was time to answer the question  --
excitement  began to build.... the question was asked.... and in-
stead of the usual fill in the blank that real _Trivial  Pursuit_
has, or a multiple choice that might be expected on a video game,
the machine showed one answer and asked whether it was  right  or
wrong.   After  carefully considering all the posibilities, I de-
cided it was wrong.  I pressed the red button, and another answer
appeared.  ``Right  or  wrong  --  You  decide''  the machine de-
clares... this time it was the correct answer, so I  pressed  the
green  button.   A fanfare exudes from the machine and I smile to
myself with pride at my accomplishment.

     So I continue on in a similar fashion.  I  move  around  the
board  getting  most  of my answers correct, and I get one or two
wrong...  Then the machine askes for the Scottish  equivilent  of
the  name `John'.  Aha, says I, no question there -- *my* name is
the Scottish equivilent of John!  The first answer was  incorrect
(it wasn't `Sean'), the second answer was incorrect.... But wait!
This machine says the Scottish equilent of `John'  is  `Ian'!   I
know  that  it's  incorrect  -  but how do you argue with a video
game?

    But I continue playing, despite  the  machine's  indiscrepen-
cies.  And I begin to notice a few things.  The number of squares
that you are allowed to move never changes.  And  then  I  notice
something else.. could it be?  Surely not... but it is!!!

     The answer to *EVERY* question, is the second one given.  In
other words, at each question, you press the red button, then the
green and you have answered the question correctly.  So  I  moved
between  my two favorite catagories (sports and leisure, arts and
literature) answering all the questions correctly.   When  I  had
about  100,000  points, I got bored (and my hands started to hurt
from pressing buttons..) and I began moving around the board  and
picking  up  my pie pieces.  When I had the last one, the machine
announced I had won, gave me about 500,000 bonus points, and end-
ed the game.

     I was *thrilled*.

                                        Sean.


-- 

    Sean L. Gilley  	     Phone: (606) 272-9620 or (606) 257-4613

      {ihnp4,decvax,ucbvax}!cbosgd!ukma{!ukgs}!slg, slg@UKMA.BITNET

             Watches are a conspiracy by Swiss confidence men.