The nerd becomes king in addictive show (Countdown)

Member Name: bruffyboy

Product:	Countdown
Date:	02/02/09 (36 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: improves literacy & numeracy

Disadvantages: old fashioned

WHAT IS IT ABOUT:
Word and number nerds from around the country pit their wits against the clock and each-other in a bid to make the biggest word possible from a jumble of random letters, and a specific number from a jumble of numbers.

IS IT ANY GOOD:
In my recent reviews of quiz shows, it just had to come back to Countdown, the daddy of them all. This show shouldn't work, but it does. Originally hosted by Carol Vorderman and Richard Whitely, it's all changed now one has retired and the other died, but the show retains its original charm and remains one of Channel 4's most popular.

The show is interesting, in that it requires no general knowledge to join in with at home: all you need to do is rearrange letters and numbers, and that's something everyone can have a go at. Every day after school I used to go to my mate Peter's and play, and we used to love it. With paper and pen in hand we would wait for the timer to start, and off we'd go.

The show is an excellent educational resource, in that it promotes both numeracy and literacy, but they've done very little to update it or make it appeal to young audiences, relying more on the elderly to boost the figures. It's a shame they don't do more to make it appeal to young uns, as it's a real chance to stretch your brain - something we don't see very often.

IF YOU ENJOYED IT:
You should buy the Daily Mail and try their wordwheel, or any paper that has a Soduku puzzle in it.

IN CONCLUSION:
It's a bit nerdy and granddaddy, but it's a real opportunity to stretch your brain and develop your literacy and numeracy skills.

Summary: watch it!