In the second instalment in our latest blog series, where we compete in a series of games based on popular television quiz shows from the Eighties, we play Every Second Counts. You’ll like this, not a lot.
Every Second Counts was a quiz show presented by never-changing magician Paul Daniels. As its title implies, the basis of the show saw couples take it in turns to answer questions in a bid to bank as much time as possible. The couple that had accumulated the most time then got to use it in the game’s final round - a round which basically just saw them answering questions correctly to light up plastic triangles as their time ticked down. With a concept so simple, the poor developer given the unenviable task of trying to turn the show into a computer game really only had three elements to hang a game off of: Paul Daniels, couples and questions. As such, it’s therefore understandably that the first section of the game likes to make a bit of a song and show about you selecting your contestants.
You begin by picking two contestants from the six faces on offer. Showing its age, the game forbids you from partnering two men or women together. Anyway, I opt to go for the male sprite that looked the most like me, and the female sprite I found the most attractive.
With the contestants selected, it’s on with the show…
Round 1 The first round is made up of simple true or false questioning. The subject topic I choose is inventors and I’m pleased to discover that the questions feature easily identifiable red herring answers – hence me effortlessly scoring almost a minute of time in the first round.
Round 2 The next round sees the contestants switch roles, and you now having to type out your answers. I haven’t the foggiest idea how I knew the answer to this question but something in my head tells me it’s Emily, and it’s correct. A complete fluke, but every fluke counts.
Final Round After a few more rounds I eventually reach the final part of show. It’s at this point though that things start to go a bit awry. The controls scheme that had gotten me this far no longer seems to work, and so, with the clock ticking down, I frantically start bashing every button on the keyboard to work out where the commands have mysteriously shifted. Getting more questions wrong than right as I do this, I only succeed in alighting three triangles in the earned time.
