What a show of FORCE. (Trivial Pursuit Star Wars DVD Game)

Member Name: thegarleon

Product:	Trivial Pursuit Star Wars DVD Game
Date:	15/12/05 (157 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well produced and researched

Disadvantages: Very specialised . Will not interest the casual fan .

Trivial pursuit has moved over to the dark side! Based on the classic board game but enhanced with dvd content, this game is a must for any Star Wars fan. This game is one of a few new releases from Parker Games that have dvd based questions and movie tie in themes. This one came out when Episode 3 Revenge of the Sith hit the cinemas, but will no doubt be marketed heavily again around the dvd release. (Also available is the Lord of the rings edition).

Good value?
What do you get for your money? Question & Answer cards. Plastic and shiny metal character playing pieces and lots of little triangles .Two dvds with lots of questions about Star Wars a board and a dice. The Star Wars universe in a box.A wealth of questions exploring various parts of George Lucas' classic double trilogy that is now being called "The Star Wars Saga". The trivia questions like it's basic board game counterpart are where the game is mainly played. The traditional trivial pursuit catagories have been replaced with Star Wars related catagories and the game pieces as well. The board has also had a revamp for this outing but is still has it's instantly recognisable shape and playing paths. The new unique feature is the double dvd content.

Playing the game
Two to twenty four players can play at any one time, although you would need a large living room.You can play on your own or in teams.The classic gameplay of answering questions to earn little triangular wedges is where it's at. You rolls your dice and you takes your chance. The players fill up their little figure with all the wedges to win.You go round the board as many times as it takes to land on the "wedge" questions then move up one of the spindles of the cartwheel shaped board configuration to your final question goal.
There are twenty pre planned games on the dvds which you are supposed to work through.I was worried at first that some questions may be repeated, however to date this has not happened.

We tried a few variations of the "how to play".Quick play, specialised subjects and so on. You can also just grab the questions and ask them at random if you like.Plus there is also the ability to just skip through the dvd questions depending on the random play of your dvd player.

The light and the dark paths....
My main concern with this version of the game is that it appeals to a very narrow market. I am a major Star Wars fan and I am saddened to admit that I do not believe it will appeal to the casual player. This is the only major downfall of the game which unusually is it's strongest asset; it IS specialised content . You may find yourself, as I did, trouncing your opponents easily. Which is great if you like to win, but lousy on christmas morning when Jnr can't get anyone to play with him. I fear that some folk will just buy it because it's Star Wars and be paying £45 for a 30 minute game........and then selling it on e-bay or sticking it in a cupboard. Longevity is also reduced by the fact that if you don't have a large circle of Sci Fi interested friends with a basic knowledge of the Universe of Star Wars, you will be just skipping through the game dvds watching the video clips by yourself.

However, if you do have a large group of friends, some alcohol, and a major grudge against each other, this game is FANTASTIC.

Ka-ching
Value for money is alright I suppose.An extra £5 to £10 compared to the ordinary version of dvd trivial pursuit (£10 to £20 compared to the traditional no dvd version).

A tv and dvd player are required to play. So are chairs to sit on, alcohol (or suitable beverage), nibbles and the ability to do a poor impression of Darth Vader, Chewbacca or Yoda

Playing pieces
All beautifully crafted (ha ha very basic really) in a combination of shiny metal (unknown type but it is silver) and a black base to put your won wedges in(almost certainly comprised of black plastic)
The four designs to choose from are Obi Wan Kenobi,Darth Vader,Luke Skywalker and Yoda.

Question catagories:-
Blue-The Cantina (scenes,aliens,cameos etc)
Pink-The Force (for every action there is a reaction)
Yellow- Heroes, Villains & Scoundrels (all the main characters)
Brown- The Saga (movie plots)
Green-A Galaxy Far,Far Away (planets,cities,vehicles etc)
Orange-Hyperspace (wildcard,anything goes)

The difficulty of the questions is varying. From the extremely easy "who is this" type with a picture, to "name the home planet of Muftak the Talz".


Number of questions
300 cards with one question from each catagory on them and ......oooodles on the DVDs (yes ooodles is a proper number)

Age required to play
10 years old to adult. No mention of 200year old wookies or 900 year old Jedi masters

Number of people required to play
minimum of 2, but you can just test your knowledge on your own if you have no friends.....at hand.

Average length of a game (without alcohol involved)
We played well into the night. But I would guess that in a competition mode the average game would be about an hour.

Playability
If you are a fan it is VERY playable.I had a smile on my face from the minute I opened the box.

Lastability
Honestly.....it would only come out at parties if they were Star Wars parties.

Final words. Great if you are into Star Wars and have friends who are also.

Terrible for little Jimmy's birthday or Christmas if you stay in the western Isles, miles away from anyone and have no friends. Granny would most certainly NOT be able to play this one!

Oh oh nearly forgot a quick warning.......DO NOT under any circumstances be fooled into thinking you can have lightsaber battles with the playing pieces. They will break if you thrash them at each other. Mine did.

May the force be with you in your decision to buy.

Summary: A must for the fan, OK for other interested sci-fie'rs