Wheel of Fortune - DUOMATO- fix [F4CG] Commodore 64 game

Wheel of Fortune: Commodore 64

Some time ago, I acquired a small lot of Commodore 64 items from one of the most interesting C64 enthusiasts on the planet. I shared this find on 1MC and asked for suggestions on what to do with it. Specifically, I asked, "What the heck should I play?" At that point, I hadn't mentioned the system for a while and for a good reason – I had nothing to play, aside from tinkering with some BASIC programs.

But a few weeks ago, my luck changed. I stumbled upon a small lot on my local Craigslist, which included a few C64s, a C128, and a VIC20, along with approximately 100 game disks and five or six game cartridges.

Thank you, Craigslist guy.

This Craigslist deal was a bit unusual (aren't they all?). The seller gave me specific instructions via text, as if I were involved in some covert operation in a third-world country. But hey, are all Commodore enthusiasts a little eccentric? Regardless, I made it home safely and found that I finally had a functioning disk drive and a set of disks. I got to work. I didn't realize there were over 20,000 (!) games for the C64/128. That's, well, a lot. The first disk I pulled out of the box? Wheel of Fortune.

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Buzz... CLICK CLICK BUZZ... WhirrRRRRrr goes the C64 drive. It worked! If you've ever watched Wheel of Fortune, you probably have a good idea of what the video game I'm going to discuss is about. But in case you haven't, here's a brief overview. Wheel of Fortune is a TV game show with three rounds and one bonus round. Three contestants take turns spinning a large wheel, similar to a roulette wheel, and then guess a consonant. They hope that the consonant is part of either the phrase, person, place, or thing displayed on a wall in front of them, similar to Hangman. The wheel indicates the dollar value of each guessed consonant. Alternatively, contestants can 'buy a vowel' for $250. Play continues until the puzzle is solved. The final bonus round is played by the highest-scoring contestant from the first three rounds, typically competing for a car, house, boat, or trip. In this round, the contestant selects five letters and one vowel and has 15 seconds to 'beat the clock.' The lovely Vanna White has been turning the tiles for the past thirty or so years, and Pat Sajak has been the gracious host.

This game has been available on almost every video game console and computer system since 1985. An Atari 2600 version was even planned but shelved due to the 'crash.' Here on the Commodore 64, we have a very '80s-looking Vanna. Unfortunately, Pat Sajak is not part of the game. Vanna walks across, spins the illuminated letters, and applauds in all her 8-bit glory. However, you don't see your own character portrayed, unlike in other game show games like Jeopardy. Sound effects on the C64 are usually pretty good, and Wheel doesn't disappoint compared to the DOS release with its PC speaker beeps.

Having played several versions personally (NES, Game Boy, DOS, and C64 to be exact), the game is much easier with an actual keyboard, even with real players. Do you REALLY need everyone to have a controller? I say no, but I prefer to sit back and call out letters. Connected to my big 30-inch tube TV, Wheel looks like you're watching the game show, albeit with a black background for the set, solid-colored tiles, and Vanna animated like a cartoon character.

But seriously, I chose a television game show game for this review. Why? Because time and time again, I find myself coming back to Wheel, regardless of the system. When I was a child, I played the DOS version with my parents on rainy Sunday afternoons. Later, I had the Game Boy version, but it's not as fun to play solo. The NES version gets regular rotation with my fiancé and me, and more recently, the C64 version initiated an almost two-hour marathon with a friend when I was exploring my Craigslist buy. Admit it, people, you enjoy playing these game show games too. They are perfect when you have a bunch of people over and you're tired of stomping on mushrooms or playing fake plastic instruments. Give Wheel of Fortune, on any of the retro systems, a fair chance.