Ooh, now this was good. One of the few shows on ITV at this time that went out in its 30min slot commercial-free. Unlike most of today's trashy TV, this one demonstrated that brains are good.
There were six rounds mainly, one of which was observation in which you get to see a short clip of a running drama and asked questions on it. Another one was mental agility in which you are shown something in some sort of grid pattern, asked to memorise it and then asked to navigate around it with tough questions like "what number is to the left of 3?" and going up to stuff like "starting at the bottom right, what is the number in the third up, two right and left one square?"
Another round is the Physical round in which everybody gets to run along an army barracks training course. However the best round by far was the simulation round in which contestants could sit in a flight simulator and attempt to land some big powerful airplane. Superb stuff. The logic round was fun too, in which contestants build some obscure and wonderful shape from a load of bits but aren't told which order they go in. Apparently these went on for hours and was all condensed down into three minutes of film for the show. Then followed by a general knowledge quick-fire quiz.
As is inevitable, the show was meddled with in later years and introduced some sort of obscure "climbing frame" structure which you went round and, I suppose, try to get out. of it. Not fun to watch. The show went bye-bye shortly after that and was was seen on Challenge although it hasn't been seen on there for a bit either. One of the show's highlights was the little sequence before each round in which the show's K logo morphed into something to do with the upcoming round, you'll know what I mean if you've seen it.
A classic show which, up until the meddling of the early 1990s, was very good to watch, not too fast and not too slow. And you could join in with at least three of the rounds at home as well. Worth watching if it comes back to Challenge again. :)
