Wheel of Fortune for Windows is an improvement on many previously released MS-DOS PC versions. The game adds many graphical functions to the basic format of the television show but most are poorly done, unnecessary and add little to the enjoyment of the game. In other words, only true lovers of Wheel of Fortune will find interest; don't expect the programming to win you over.
For those of you unfamiliar with television's Wheel of Fortune, players spin a colorful wheel hoping to land on a high dollar amount in order to maximize their earnings. After a successful spin, players select a consonant they believe to be behind the highlighted tiles in the puzzle. Players may also buy vowels or jump ahead and solve puzzles from categories such as people, places and phrases.
Up to three players challenge one another in an attempt to solve three puzzles each round --- the winner is rewarded with a special bonus round. The game features digitized video clips of contestants, Vanna White and a spinning wheel. All of these features can be adjusted on or off; some low-end machines may need to take advantage of the "off" toggle to ensure more fluid gameplay.
The graphics for the moving images are choppy and slow (at least on my 300MHz processor). For example, the spinning wheel occasionally and intermittently jerks while the sound continues to play. Incidentally, the movement of the wheel itself is quite strange when compared to the "real" wheel. Also, it is out of proportion to the wheel used on television. There are other annoying problems with the video in Wheel of Fortune as well, such as when Vanna moves across the screen to turn the letters and doesn't actually touch them. Her presence alone spins the letters.
All things considered, Wheel of Fortune is an unimpressive simulation. The only advantage over the board game is that you don't have to pick up all of those little pieces when you are finished.
Graphics: Choppy.
Sound: Nice theme but nothing special.
Enjoyment: Good word puzzles.
Replay Value: About as fun as the first time.
One of the most successful game shows ever made, Wheel of Fortune is a very popular TV program that catapulted Vanna White to stardom as one of the most recognizable TV celebrities. For those who has never seen the show, WOF is a language game that requires both luck and skill. The object is to solve a "hangman"-like mystery puzzle. Three contestants compete, taking turns spinning a huge wheel divided into sections containing various dollar amounts, as well as spaces such as "BANKRUPT", "LOSE A TURN" and "FREE SPIN". If a contestant span a dollar amount, he/she could then guess a consonant to receive that dollar amount for every time that consonant appears in the puzzle. An incorrect guess or spinning the wheel to one of the penalty spaces means control goes to the next contestant. At any time during a player's turn, they can elect to spin the wheel; ask to "buy a vowel" of their choice, in which case $250 is deducted from their score; or solve the puzzzle. The player with the most winnings at the end of the show is pronounced the champion and gets to play a bonus puzzle, which he/she had 15 seconds to solve after guessing five consonants and one vowel to be uncovered.
Softie, which later became GameTek, obtained an exclusive license to produce computer version of this popular gameshow, on the heels of getting a Jeopardy! license. The game milked the license relentlessly, releasing approximately one WOF PC game each year between 1987 and 1994. New features were added as technologies advanced, from CGA to VGA and digitized voices of Vanna White in the 1991 Deluxe Edition. Each new version features more questions than the last, although they disappointingly border on the easy side and tend to be from only a few categories (e.g. people's names, common nouns). Still, fans of the TV show will definitely enjoy these computer releases which are quite faithful to the originals. Don't expect a tough challenge, but do expect Vanna White's characteristic smile and flipping of white cards :)
It's party time! It's Wheeeeeeeel of Fortune time! You do know about this TV show, now do you? Of course you do! Now you can be a competitor yourself and even if you do not like the show you WILL love this game!
I admit to be one of those people who do not like the show, but this game rocks! It is interesting to play it alone, but if you have a friend or two it is much, much better. This is a great family game and you should definitely have it!
How to run this game on modern Windows PC?
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Wheel of Fortune 3rd Edition, Wheel of Fortune Golden Edition, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, Game of Life, Jeopardy with TV & Movie Pack, All New Family Feud, Super Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune 2nd Edition
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