Review of Pepsi Chart Music Quiz (Interactive DVD)

Introduction

I`ve not had much enjoyment from interactive games on DVD thus far. While the small mini games that accompany some movies have been harmless if not entirely entertaining diversions, my one encounter with a specifically made title (Drug Wars, read the review) had me despairing of the whole idea of interactive DVD. But then the opportunity to review the Pepsi Chart Music Quiz came along and my hopes were raised once more. What better for the DVD format than a quiz? It`s not a matter of rapid reactions and reflexes but your general knowledge. What could go wrong?

The Pepsi Chart Music Quiz is presented by `Doctor` Neil Fox of Capital Radio fame. Taking the form of a board game, you answer questions to go up the charts, from number 40 to 1. You get three categories, Easy, Medium and Hard that advance you one, two and three places respectively. Each category has one question specifically related to that category followed by two supplementary questions. The categories are picture related, for instance Guess Who has you discerning a pop star from a pixellated picture, Memory has you given a set time to memorize a board of 9 pop stars, Photofit has three celebrities mixed up for you to unravel, and so on.

There are three permutations of this game. The top 10 challenge sees one player try to get from 10 to 1 with one life. The Pepsi Chart Music Quiz is the same thing, but from 40 to 1 and for 1 to 4 players with three lives. The Race to the Top 2 team battle sees 2 teams play against each other to get to the top. There aren`t any lives but when one team gives a wrong answer, control of the board passes to the other team.

Video

This game is presented in the 4:3 aspect ratio. The board is well designed and the computer graphics look professionally done. The wavy CG effects are the only moving pictures, with the exception of Neil Fox popping up every now and again to exhort you for better efforts. More important are the photos of the pop stars, which are always clear. It`s Region 0 by the way.

Audio

The sound on this disc is in DD 2.0, and aside from the voice of Neil Fox, the only sound is the rather irritating electronica cum techno that bleats out the theme tune to this disc.

Features

There is an additional game with this disc called Missing Link. You see two pictures with members of a group at the top, with a blank space in the middle. Below you have three options, to complete the pop group and you have to choose the right one.

There are 40 pop profiles looking at your favourite pop stars. Each star gets three pages of text detailing trivia from their lives. Some of it may be useful in the chart quiz so pay attention at the back.

Finally there is the competition. This takes the form of a series of 10 spot the difference boards, with three differences to find on each one. Get through this and you get a secret code word that gives you a chance to meet your favourite pop star. (Ten runners up will get Pepsi Chart Goodie Bags… Woo!)

The menus are beautifully designed and if the transitions seem lengthy for you, you can skip that screen with a press of the Enter button.

Conclusion

Ah, the humble quiz, a staple of British TV and pubs the world over. Pop in particular is a fertile ground for taxing people`s general knowledge. From the humble Mike Read`s Pop Quiz, to the irreverent and hilarious Never Mind the Buzzcocks, there has always been some form of music Quiz on television. The chance to play the game myself had me hoping for the same kind of tongue in cheek humour, but alas that wasn`t to be. In fact the Pepsi Chart Music Quiz doesn`t even live up to the standards of Mike Read.

Yes, you`ve guessed it, The Pepsi Chart Music Quiz disappointed me. There is no technical failing, and the quiz itself is a competently realised piece of software. It`s a straightforward quiz, you answer multiple-choice questions to get further up the board. This disc accomplishes this very well, with the questions truly random. Your player can keep score of up to 4 people, as well as remember how many lives they have left. There is a wide variety of questions that can be asked and the player chooses the right one each time and only two questions repeated on me, albeit in different games. There is even a chance square. In this technical respect, the disc does what it sets out to do, and does it well.

My problems start with Doctor Fox. He is an individual who you either love or hate, well actually he is an individual you either barely tolerate or hate. I`m of the latter persuasion. No, I`m not a fan of his brick red tan, and face that seems tight on the verge of exploding, and his old fashioned DJ manner irritates me no end. I wasn`t a fan when Doctor Fox MD PhD LBC first began practicing medicine on Fox`s jukebox back on Capital Radio all those decades ago, and I`m even less of a fan now. To see his cheery face and hear his DJ voice on this disc did nothing to endear it to me. But I must admit that it makes me laugh when the camera lingers on him a little long and you can see the bright expression dim just a little and the eyebrows raise in a questioning manner before the footage ends.

Ok that was a little rant that I just had to get out of my system. I suppose that if you like Foxy, you`ll like this. No what really irks me is that with such a brilliant application of DVD technology, its totally wasted on this disc. The subject is Pop Music, but not only won`t you see any footage of your favourite acts on this disc, the only music you hear is that irritating title music. You could have had a what happened next round, or an intros round a`la Buzzcocks, but this disc should be in contravention of the trading standards act. A music quiz without any music.

This disc has unwanted Christmas gift written all over it. I have a feeling that as soon as the festive season ends, you`ll be able to buy this for a few notes in a Bargain Bin somewhere, or it will be given away free with Look In, (they still publish Look In don`t they?) I don`t think it`s up to the standard of Smash Hits.

I suppose the biggest draw is the chance to meet your favourite popstar, rather one of three favourite popstars. You put down a shortlist of three with your code word and if you win, you could be meeting the star of your dreams. Mind you I had a look at the small print, and Zoo Publishing are reserving a whole lot of rights. If you put down, J-Lo, Kylie or Madonna, you`re really just asking for a goodie bag. Best be realistic and put down Darius and Gary Barlow as your faves.

All in all, a disc aimed at the preteen market with a short shelf life. The quiz is competent enough and dare I say it, a little fun, but the disc itself is a missed opportunity.

Actually, I prefer Coke