Super Scattergories

• Platform: IBM PC Compatible
• Release Date: 1999 10
• Genre: Traditional
• Style: Board Game
• Similar Games: Trivial Pursuit (IBM PC Compatible), Crosswords & More (IBM PC Compatible), UpWords (IBM PC Compatible)

Game Description

Super Scattergories is based on the original board game where players draw an alphabetical letter at random and then must come up with answers that fit in different categories, all while a timer counts down.

A full game of consists of six rounds. In the rounds where the game requires typing, players only need to enter the first three letters of an answer. The computer fills in the rest. (Round five, Scattered Categories, is the only round where players use the mouse instead of the keyboard).

The first two rounds are basic Scattergories, requiring players to hit the space bar to choose a letter and then has 60 seconds to come up with answers for 12 categories. Players can also skip a category by pressing the space bar. The third round is Scrutineyes, a game in which players are shown a drawing and must identify 12 items that start with the chosen letter. The round lasts sixty seconds.

In round four, ScatterBrain, players are presented with 12 riddles, with each answer beginning with the letter chosen at the start of the round. Players can skip riddles and return to them if there is enough time left after answering other riddles. The aforementioned fifth round begins with 12 categories placed on the screen. Players must use the mouse to click on two categories related by a single concept. Each related concept starts with the letter chosen at the beginning of the round.

Finally, in the sixth and final round, Scattergories Knockout, players get 12 letters to work with instead of one. Twelve categories pop onto the screen and players can use any letter to come up with an answer. The challenge, however, stems from the rule that restricts the player to use of each letter only one time.

Players who achieve high scores in the games have their names put into the High Scores Chart. For players who don't want to play a full game, an option to choose Quick Hits from the game menu is available. This mode allows play of a single round of Super Scattergories. Scores for Quick Hits rounds are not tallied for the High Scores Chart.

Multi-player games can be played by two teams (or players) on the same PC, on the Internet or a local area network (LAN).

Roots & Influences

Super Scattegories was greatly influenced by the You Don't Know Jack trivia game series. The feel is that of a fast-paced game show with goofy sound effects, an emcee with a booming voice and odd graphics.

Review: Overall

Fans of the board game Scattergories will probably like Super Scattergories, an attempt to take the fast-paced pen and paper game from the kitchen table to Windows 95. The video game version features more bells and whistles than the board game but the concept is basically the same.

The developers of Super Scattergories have attempted to cash in on the look and feel of the You Don't Know Jack trivia game series. There are plenty of cartoon sound effects, funny voices, game show music interludes and off the wall graphics throughout the game. The folks at CyberDice Interactive tried to capture the irreverence of You Don't Know Jack but didn't quite get it.

Graphically, Super Scattergories is simple and it needs to be. In a game where the object is to type in words, gamers shouldn't have to deal with graphics zooming across the screen. Except for the Scrutineyes and Scattered Categories rounds, the screen is typically full of empty space surrounding the clues and letters.

The sound in Super Scattergories is good but it can get annoying. It's supposed to be a wacky game show but game show hosts can be quite annoying as the emcee of Super Scattergories often is. Occasionally, there are abrupt cuts in music and voice samples and some samples trample each other on the way to the PC's speakers. Some samples go on too long and cut into the game's enjoyment factor. To me, it seems like Super Scattergories' sound was not quite done when it shipped to stores.

Super Scattergories can be quite enjoyable, but the more you play it, the more you realize how many possible answers the developers have missed. I wondered how the developers would overcome the problem of having a game where multiple and creative answers are possible for each clue. The answer is simple, they didn't. The manual even warns players that there might be some missing answers and to e-mail those answers to the support center.

During my first five games of Super Scattergories, I counted seven answers I felt strongly were right although the game didn't recognize them. The game did not recognize Wal-Mart as a national department store chain that starts with the letter W. It also failed to recognize Viceroy as a cigarette brand staring with V and Betty (as in Betty Ford) as a first lady's first name beginning with B. Minor mistakes like these really detract from Super Scattergories' enjoyment factor.

Overall, Super Scattergories is a fun game with a few mistakes. I believe that if the developers had done a bit more tweaking, Super Scattergories could have been a huge videogame hit. As it is, it's fun to play but won't replace the paper version.

Review: Enjoyment

Super Scattergories is amazingly fun, but the seemingly obvious answers that the game misses can be frustrating.

Review: Graphics

The graphics are simple and rightfully so in a game dealing mainly with words.

Review: Sound

The sound is at times good and at times annoying. Some clips seem to trip over each other. Some clips take too long and detract from the game's emjoyment.

Review: Replay Value

The game is enjoyable enough to play more than once, especially in the multiplayer modes, but the mistakes can diminish its replay value.

Review: Documentation

The manual is average, but the game offers good direction during game play.

Production Credits