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Wheel of Fortune first aired on television in 1975 as a daytime game show
but didn’t really take off until it became a nighttime syndicated show in
1983. After it debuted at night,
it  quickly
became the highest rated syndicated game show in the United States. When the NES debuted in 1985 you had to
know it was only a matter of time before it was turned into an NES game.
I suppose I should remind you of how the game works. Three contestants take turns guessing
letters to solve a hangman style puzzle.
The contestants spin a wheel before each guess to find out how
much money they will receive if their letter is on the board. If they want to guess a vowel they have
to pay 250 bucks. The person who
solves the puzzle correctly banks their money while everyone else banks
nothing. At the end of three
rounds the one who has banked the most money gets to play in a bonus
round where they can win fabulous cash and prizes.
Over the life of the NES four versions of the game were released, this
is a review for the original version simply titled Wheel of Fortune. It
was developed in 1987 and released in 1988 so it is definitely an early
title for the system. For this version you get to play two normal rounds
followed by a “Speed Up Round” where the wheel is spun and each player
gets to guess a letter. If it is
on the board they get the amount of money that was spun before the puzzle
started and they can take a guess at the puzzle. If they don’t know it, the next person
gets to pick one letter and take a shot at the answer. After the speed up round is finished
the person with the most banked money moves on to the bonus round. The bonus round featured here is the
original version where you get to pick any five consonants followed by
one vowel. The game goes by
extremely quickly since you don’t have to wait through any commercials.
Positives:
There are number of things that GameTek got right on this first attempt at Wheel of Fortune. I like how you can play on three skill
levels. The  difficulty of the puzzles doesn’t change
but the skill level of your computer opponents does. It can be somewhat tough to beat to
computer opponents on the hard mode.
For a game that was made in 1987 the graphics are surprisingly
good. Vanna
White looks like herself and she really does walk over and turn each
letter. The puzzles are pretty
tough so you do get a good challenge and the game is quick so you don’t
really have time to get bored. I
also like that you can actually spell out your entire name, a minor thing
that a lot of NES game show games lack (including later installments in
this very series). Another minor
thing that is cool is that in this version you get to watch the wheel spin
so you can see how close you are to landing on a Bankrupt or Lose Your
Turn. It just adds a little extra
drama to the proceedings.
Glaring
Negatives:
While this game is genuinely fun
there are a few annoying things about it.
The biggest annoyance is that the puzzles start to repeat rather
quickly and there is no way to skip a puzzle that you have already
had. It is also odd that you can’t
pause a game once it gets started, luckily the
games are quick. You also only get
about five seconds to pick a letter or choose whether you want to spin or
guess a vowel – talk about pressure!
It is also a little strange that you have to watch the computer
play the bonus round if you lose.
Call me crazy but I really don’t care if a fictional person wins a
fictional prize.
Graphics
and Sound: Pretty Good
For an early game on the NES I
have to say I was surprised by the graphics. Of course there really isn’t much to
the graphics just Vanna White, a board and a
wheel. All three look pretty good
though. As for the sound, during
the menu screen you get to hear the classic theme song and the audience
shouts “Wheel of Fortune”, both surprisingly sound decent. During the game, there is no music and
just a few sound effects that chime in at appropriate times.
Gameplay
and Controls: Good
There isn’t much to screw up
here. You just have to pick a
letter and spin the wheel, both of which are easy to do. You even get to choose how hard you
want to spin the wheel! I’m not a
fan of how little time you have to pick a  letter though.
Features:
3 skill levels
There’s no password option or
tournament or anything. At least
you get three skill levels and the option of having computer opponents or
not.
Fun?: If
you like the game show
I’m a fan of game shows so I do
enjoy playing this game. It is
also fun to play with friends (usually older friends) because up to three
people can play the game.
Challenge:
A Little
The hard mode is a moderate
challenge if you are playing against two computer opponents. They won’t win every time but you
probably won’t either.
Replay: Some
I end up putting this game away
once I see repeat puzzles and then by the time I bust it back out I’ve
forgotten all of the puzzles. I
can imagine that in 1988 when this was your only game show game on the
NES that it was very annoying how quickly the puzzles repeat.
2
Player: Yes
You can have up to three players
playing but players one and three share a controller.
Online
Manual?: Yes at Nintendo Age
http://www.nintendoage.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Element.View&egID=2593&lgID=1140
Bottom
Line: Fun, but not the best Wheel of Fortune
If you like Wheel of Fortune then
you will enjoy this version. But
since it was the first of four released on the NES it is not the best
version. Look for the one
featuring Vanna White to get the best Wheel of
Fortune on the NES. This one is
tops because you can ask for a new puzzle if you get one that you’ve
already had.
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