| Introduction
Although the popularity of WWTBAM seems to be on
the decline, it hasn't stopped Zoo from producing this
new handheld version. It did appear on the GBC some
two years ago but was only available in the USA and
as a result, the questions had a severe American bias.
This version has been produced for a UK/European audience
but (at least in the time we played it) doesn't appear
to feature the same 'localised' trivia and deals more
with history, geography and general popular culture.
GamePlay
For those who completely missed out on the 'Who Wants
to be a Millionaire' phenomenon, the show goes like
this. An individual member of the audience must answer
15 multiple-choice questions (with four answers) in
order to win a million dollars - which sounds simple
except for the fact that the questions gets progressively
difficult after each round. The popularity of the show
is linked to it's deceptively simple format, million
dollar prize money and nail biting build-up to the final
question. It is so popular in fact, that it has been
franchised in almost every country in the world and
the million in question changes value radically depending
on where it's played.
One thing that separates WWTBAM from other run of
the mill trivia shows is the introduction of 'lifelines'.
There are three of these, which act as a kind of helping
hand when the contestant doesn't know the (sometimes
obvious) answer.
The first is '50-50', which removes two wrong answers
thus giving you a higher probability of choosing the
correct answer from the two that are left. Next is the
'Phone a Friend' option where you're given the opportunity
to get phone-in advice from a pre-selected friend. The
final one is 'Ask the Audience', where as the name suggest,
the audience is polled on the which they think is the
correct answer, and from the results, you are left to
make your decision.
This GBA version puts you straight in the 'hot seat'
as soon as you press 'start'. In some ways this is a
bit of a shame and it's obvious that the increase in
the number of available questions has been achieved
at the expense of some of the finer aspects that featured
in the GBC version, such as the winning of a WWTBAM
cheque made out to you. There's no high score chart
either, nor is there a save feature although this isn't
a big deal as anyone who plays is only really interested
in the ultimate prize (who ever remembers the contestant
who won a thousand dollars).
Controls
As this is a multiple-choice quiz show the control
is incredibly simple, so the 'D-Pad' and 'A' button
(for select choice) are used almost all the time. Everything
else follows suit and the various menu systems are also
logical in their layout with very user-friendly navigation.
That's all there is to it. No complicated sprite detection
or graphical updates to worry about, just answering
those questions correctly.
Graphics
The actual presentation is an almost perfect replica
of the TV series visuals with the slightly larger GBA
screen making the text even easier to see. As this is
a quiz show, the on-screen visuals is secondary to the
actual content and offer little or no graphics which
most trivia/quiz addicts and purist will find enjoyable.
There is, however, a generous amount of FMV to link
the various parts of the show and despite the studio
appearing to be completely empty, it is a welcome addition
to the overall presentation.
Sound & Music
The game's soundtrack has been ported directly from
the TV show and although it's apparent that much of
it is on a loop, it still works very well. The audio
is also used incredibly well to build tension once the
contestant is past the thousand mark, so that even when
you're convinced you're correct, you start to doubt
yourself simply because of the accompanying sounds effects.
Also included is the sound of the audience applauding
your successes and sighing at your incorrect answers.
Overall, the game exhibits good use of music and sound
to enhance the overall gaming experience.
Final Comments
The GBA version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire
replicates the show perfectly, the only real absence
being the presenter continually asking, "Are you
sure that's the right answer?", which of course
you were until he asked you. This version also addresses
one of the major drawbacks of the GBC version - the
number of questions. This time the developers have managed
to squeeze twice as many into the tiny cart and with
well over 1,000 questions, there should be little repetition,
at least initially. It is also great fun while it lasts
but if you do actually win the million, it's unlikely
that you'll go back to try again, unless of course you're
a trivia freak. So, if you love trivia or are a fan
of the show, then WWTBAM is the game for you. For everyone
else, give it a go too, since it's not very often that
a video game is both fun and educational.
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