TV Guide's 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time

Amateur talent contest judged by three celebrities.

A returning champion and two challengers test their buzzer skills and their knowledge in a wide range of academic and popular categories.

A long-running quiz show hosted by TV veteran Jack Barry, and later by Bill Cullen. In this show, contestants would have to answer questions on a wide variety of topics, with the prize money determined by a slot machine-style device. The winning contestant could then move on to a bonus round, where they would play a slot machine for a chance at even bigger prizes, but with the risk of losing everything.

Contestants guess letters to solve word puzzles and earn prizes like cash, cars and vacations through spinning a wheel. The top scorer advances to a bonus round for potential bigger rewards.

Two families compete by trying to outguess the opponents about survey results.

Revised version of the verenable Goodson-Todman game show, where celebrity-contestant teams try to convey passwords.

Contestants compete for prizes and cash, including cars and vacations, in games that test their knowledge of consumer goods pricing.

The original British version of the popular quiz show, that became a worldwide phenomenon.

A group of celebrities would be given a sentence with a missing word, which they would then have to fill in. The contestants would then give their own answer, and scored points according to how many celebrities gave the same answer.

Host Gene Rayburn's five-day-a-week syndicated successor to the popular CBS game show, where two contestants could compete to match fill-in-the-blank phrases with answers provided by a panel of six celebrities.

Second revised version of the classic Mark Goodson game show, where celebrity-contestant teams conveyed passwords using one-word clues.

General knowledge quiz for 16-18-year-olds.

Hosted by Jim Perry, were contestants are asked questions about how 100 people answered a poll question then played a card game where they tried to guess whether the next card drawn from a deck in a sequence would be higher or lower.

One in a long-running series of game shows, where two-member teams of children compete to answer questions and complete stunts.

A game show where contestents answer trivia questions and then have to gamble their winnings on a randomly flashing game board.

Revival of the classic word association game show, where teams attempt to convey a category of words and/or phrases within a time limit.

Two teams compete by having one member draw pictures to convey a famous person's name to their teammates without using words.

Contestants make their way through a giant obstacle course to win a cash prize.

Contestants compete against each other and host Ben Stein for a chance to win money from Stein himself.

Improvisational comedy competition show in which four members of the regular cast as comedians and often with guest appearances with other comedians and celebrities and members of the audience perform various comic games and sketches.

Celebrities & their spouses, playing for sections of the studio audience, try to match answers to questions about their personal lives.

For years, one of America's favorite board games was Scrabble, the Selchow & Righter-marketed game introduced in the 1930s. The game was revised and brought to television in 1984 by Reg Grundy Productions. Two contestants competed in the "crossword" round, played on a giant Scrabble board. Host Woolery announces a letter to build on, announces the number of letters in the word and reads a clue to said word (e.g., a seven letter word; "Experts really know how to pick them"; answer: "pockets"). The contestant chosen to go first draws two numbered tiles from the rack; the rack (positioned between the contestants) contained all the letters in the word, plus three "stoppers," or letters not in the puzzle. The contestant indicates which letter he wants to place in the word; if the letter fits, he/she may either attempt to guess the word or place another letter in the puzzle (the contestant draws two more tiles if he/she still doesn't attempt a guess). If the letter tried is a "stopper" or the contestant gives an incorrect solution, control passes to the opponent; letters landing on blue or pink squares were worth cash bonuses if they correctly guessed the word (#500 and #1,000 respectively, which the players kept regardless if they won the game). Play on the current word continues until all three "stoppers" are found (at which time a "speedword" format was used) or until one letter remained in the puzzle. The contestant who guesses the word correctly wins one point; all subsequent words were built on a letter in the previous word. The first player to win three points won the game, #500 and played the Sprint Round. In the Sprint Round, the contestant played vs. the returning champion to guess a given number of words in a shorter time period than the opponent. Either way, the "speedword" format was used, with Woolery giving the number of letters in the word and a clue. The contestant was shown two letters at a time; there were no "stoppers" in the Sprint Round, though a 10-second penalty was assessed for incorrect guesses. The winner of the Sprint Round received a cash bonus (usually #1,000), returns as champion and played the Bonus Sprint against the clock. In the Bonus Sprint, the contestant had to guess two words, again under the "speedword" format, within 10 seconds to win #5,000 (plus #1,000 for each day it was not won); an incorrect guess at any point stopped the game. Champions continued until their defeat or until winning 10 Sprint Rounds. The rules o both the crossword and Sprint rounds changed several times during the show's run, most commonly relating to bonuses and the Sprint Round formats and how returning champions were determined; the above plot summary indicates the most enduring format.

Game show revival: 3 contestants answer trivia for money. Features Instant Bargains, Fame Game, and special endgame. Winners can buy discounted luxury items or accumulate winnings for bigger prizes. Format changes over time.

Four panelists must determine guests' occupations - and, in the case of famous guests, while blindfolded, their identity - by asking only "yes" or "no" questions.