Super Jeopardy!

Super Jeopardy! is a video game in the puzzle genre developed by GameTek, Inc. and published by GameTek, Inc. originally released in 1991. It is currently playable on DOS.

Jeopardy! is one of the longest-running game shows in existence today and has attracted millions of loyal fans around the world. The show's charismatic host, Alex Trebek, has become one of - if not THE - most recognizable TV game show host of all time. It is therefore not surprising that numerous computer versions of this popular game have emerged.

For anyone who has never seen the TV show, here's a super-brief version of the rules. Jeopardy! is basically a quiz show, in which three contestants compete to win the most money, which is earned by giving the correct answers. The twist is that the contestant's answer must be phrased as a question. For example, the question (called a 'clue' in the program) might be 'was the first man on the moon', to which the correct answer is 'who is Neil Armstrong?'

First round questions (chosen from 6 categories) are worth between $100 and $500 each, while second round questions are worth twice as much. In the final round, only one category is available. Contestants will place a bet in secret, after which they have 30 seconds to write down the question when the clue is revealed. The person with the most money after the final round wins the game.

Softie, which later became GameTek, was one of the first companies to license the program, and used it quite effectively. Between 1987 and 1991, Softie/GameTek released no less than 6 Jeopardy! games for PC, each one better than the last. The first four versions, i.e. those from 1987 to 1990, feature identical CGA-style graphics and the same contestant faces. Each game has hundreds of questions, including fun features such as the Daily Double (in which the contestant who chooses that clue is the only one who gets a chance to answer, via a wager similar to that of the final round).

The company even produced computer versions of the various Jeopardy! variants that proliferated at the time. For example, Jeopardy! Junior Edition, released in 1989, is similar to the first four editions, except that the questions are designed for children ages 7 to 12, with an appropriate set of contestant graphics. Super Jeopardy!, from 1991, was based on the short-lived version of the show, Super Jeopardy!, in which the dollar value was replaced by points, and was a sort of 'grandmaster tournament' in which the best players on the show competed in a 13-week marathon to determine the champion of champions.

The game features VGA graphics and very difficult questions, similar to those on the show. Since Softie/GameTek virtually monopolized the license until Hasbro took it over in the late 1990s, it's hard to say whether these PC games are as good as they can be. I'd say they all stand the test of time well, as the questions are all original to the program itself, and the series progresses quite well from CGA to VGA to Windows and beyond.

Features like Audio Daily Doubles and Video Daily Doubles were added gradually as technology became available (e.g., sound cards), so fans of the TV originals have a lot to like. While the early CGA versions don't stand the test of time well due to the blocky graphics and squeaky PC speaker sounds, the VGA versions, such as Super Jeopardy!, are still a lot of fun to play even today.

It is possible that we have multiple downloads available when different versions exist.