Review of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? (DVD Game 2003 reissue)

Introduction

I`ve said it before and I`ll say it again.....

Christmas is coming,
The geese are getting fat,
Please put a penny,
In the DVD makers` hats.

It`s another Xmas stocking filler DVD, just like last year`s release of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Once again I ask you to picture the scene....

It`s Christmas Day, everyone is well fed and sleepy after gorging on the monstrous Xmas dinner. What to do next? Watch the Queen`s speeech? Unlikely as it will already have been leaked to the tabloids. Play a game - yeah that`ll stave off boredom. The actual game has evolved over the years, from charades to cards to board games like Monopoly, Cluedo and Trivial Pursuit. With the advent of home computers and consoles there have been even more options, including various versions of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? and The Weakest Link for most of the popular consoles.

If you wanted to move away from the traditional board game, but didn`t want to get a console, there wasn`t much choice - until last year. Enter the interactive DVD version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? The format is simple, answer questions, win virtual money, impress your friends and family with your knowledge of inane trivia like the number of lakes in the Lake District (1), or the name of that lake (Bassenthwaite Lake). None of the others are called lake you see!

You must know the format - 1 question, 4 possible answers, 3 lifelines to help you out. 15 questions to win a virtual million pounds. And all of it on your standard DVD player, not a DVD ROM in sight.

This DVD is a re-release of last year`s title, possibly with the odd tweak. Apart from by sitting down and playing both simultaneously (life`s too short), I can`t tell you if the questions are different or not.

Video

Maybe I was still expecting too much, but as the programme itself is widescreen, I assumed the DVD would be. But it`s still not, just a standard full frame transfer instead. It all looks authentic, there are shots of the audience, and the graphics look fine. It does appear to stutter briefly now and again, even in the middle of a question. Maybe that`s the DVD player switching between lots of tracks quickly.

Audio

Just a DD2.0 stereo track which is perfectly adequate. You can hear the questions, and you can hear the advice of your "phone a friend". What more can I say? This is not the disc for you if you are irritated by the sound of Chris Tarrant!

Features

Nothing (but what were you expecting anyway?)

Conclusion

Do you enjoy trivia? Do you enjoy quizzes? Do you scream at some of the idiotic contestants when Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? is on TV? If so then this is your chance to prove your mastery of trivia, if you haven`t already got the board game, PSOne game etc. etc.

An interesting idea for a DVD and well executed. This time round there`s just 1 disc (only 1 in my review copy anyway) but still plenty of questions so it should keep you going until New Year at least. I can`t really say loads about the technical quality as it all looks and sounds fine, and is perfectly playable, all with your normal DVD player. What more can you want? I`m sure more titles will be following soon, and rumour has it that Trivial Pursuit is about to put in an appearance over in region 1.

A handy gift to help stave off the rows about what to watch on TV instead of the Queen`s speech. The only thing missing is a Tecwen Whittock cough simulator, but you could get a friend to do that for you. Or for £1500 you could get the man himself to make a personal appearance!