Review of Test The Nation

Introduction

WARNING

This DVD contains Anne Robinson.

I`ve said it many times 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, and the number of DVD Games on the market this Xmas is pretty large. 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, The Weakest Link, Monopoly etc. 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 three years ago when the interactive DVD version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? was released (and then re-released 2 years ago). I`m sure I`ve seen the 3rd edition in the shops for this Xmas.

Test The Nation is the BBC`s brand, which has seen various Saturday night quizzes, such as the national IQ test, the great music test and more. This then is the DVD version of the brand, with 2 DVDs. One is the "Great British Quiz" - questions about Britain and British things. The other is the National IQ test, a repeat of the TV version of the test.

The format is simple. You either play in single player mode, selecting answers as you go and the DVD player keeps score, or multi-player mode, in which you can use good old fashioned pen and paper to keep score (or download proper score sheets from the web site). The answers are given at the end of each round so you can add up what you got. All of it on your standard DVD player, not a DVD ROM in sight.

Video

A widescreen transfer for everything, from footage of Anne Robinson introducing the DVD, to each of the question screens, to the related pictures and video clips. Everything looks as good as you would expect.

Audio

Just a DD2.0 stereo track which is perfectly adequate. There is some Anne Robinson content, but if you are irritated by the sound of Anne, then you can still put up with this, as it`s quite minimal.

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, The Weakest Link and any other quiz you care to name are on TV? If so then this is your chance to prove your mastery of trivia again.

This whole concept is an interesting idea for a DVD, and Test The Nation is well executed, backed up by its own strong brand. The IQ test has handy breaks between rounds to allow your brain to cool down, but it`s a shame that the Great British Test doesn`t. The multiplayer "pen and paper" thing sounds lo-tech, but is actually a really good idea, as it`s far too hard to cram lots of people round a remote. It makes the game just like the TV version.

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 good old Pip Schofield, but you could just get an elderly relative to dye their hair brown, and then wash the dye out and explain that they were that colour all along. Problem solved.