"Lovers of Television.. Here you go!"

Fresh off the success of You Don't Know Jack: Volume 2 comes two new "specialty" versions of Jack, TV and Movies!!! Much like the sports version before it, both of these volumes include trivia questions catered to a specific subject. Today, we're gonna take a look at the TV version.

So, you're glued to the set, are you? You just can't peel yourself away from the boob toob, hmm? Well, then this just may be the game for you. Truly a testament to Television fans everywhere, You Don't Know Jack: TV will thoroughly quiz you on television of the past.. present.. and beyond.

First of all, know that You Don't Know Jack movies is not meant to be played alone -- it's meant to be played with two or three players. There's no computer opponents to play against, so you need to bring your own. You CAN play alone, but then it just becomes a question and answer period that's more fun than usual. The real fun is in the multiplayer.

If you aren't familiar with previous Jack Games, then sit back and read while I explain for about the SIXTH time what makes Jack so nifty. You Don't Know Jack is a trivia game that completely blows the doors off any other trivia game you've played. The entire game is set up like a gameshow, that you and up to two of your friends can play. You play for virtual money in a 21 or 7 question game. Instead of giving you the same boring questions over and over, Jack gives you interesting questions that fulfill the game's commercial motto, "The Trivia Game where High Culture and Pop Culture Collide." Except this time, all the questions are geared at television. You'll see the most bizarre subjects join together to make bizarre questions. Gilligan's Island and Three's Company combine to make one question. Colombo and Scooby Doo for another. It's clever, ingenious, and never repetitious. NEVER, you hear me? Oy.. I've said that way too many times.

The game differs from other trivia games, computer or otherwise, in its presentation. The entire thing is set up like a game show, complete with a host and a virtual scoring system. The game wreaks of a style all its own from beginning to finish.

Your host this time is.. some guy whose name escapes me. He's the same dude from Movies, though. He's pretty good, and holds his own against the "Big Guns" of Jack, namely Nick Shapiro and Cookie. He speaks every question in full, responses to whatever answer you pick, and is always helpful, snide, cynical, and sarcastic. Getting abused verbally is half the fun of You Don't Know Jack, and the tradition continues in Jack: TV.

Jack: TV rolls on right after Jack: Volume 2, so many of the features that were new on there are still new on here. There's a larger variety of question types than there were in Jack: Sports, including multiple choice, fill in the blank, dis or dat, the Jack Attack, gibberish question, and one exclusive to Movies and TVs, a question called "Whatshisname?"

Also, if you think this game is gonna be awash in questions about ER or Seinfeld, believe me, you are sadly mistaken. This game covers the past, present, and future of Television. In fact, if you're younger than thirty, the only way you're gonna be able to compete in this game is if you watch a lot of Nick at Night and TV Land. All in the Family, Hogan's Heroes.. all those and more are here. History is an important thing.

Not familiar with the question types, or wanna know more about them and the ones included in Jack: TV? Well, I'll be happy to oblige.. for the umpteenth time. (I've done a LOT of Jack Reviews, you see, and I've seen a lot of what I'm about to write again over and over)

Okay, here we go...

First of all, you have your basic questions, the ones that take up most of the game. First, you pick a catergory.. usually something pretty bizarre, like "Gillian's Isle.. The Truth is IN THERE!" The question is then given a value. The question is popped on the screen, along with four equally bizarre possible answers. Buzz in first and answer correctly, and you net yourself the amount of $$$ the question was designated. Screw (speaking of which, more on screws later) up and answer wrong, and that score will be detracted from your total.

Next up is the Gibberish question, which has been around since volume one.. and continues to go on strong even today. It's as much a part of Jack as Trivia is. In the Gibberish Question, a rather odd phrase is printed on the screen.. something that usually looks like a lot of nonsense mumbo jumbo. (That is usually pretty funny) You only have so much time to figure out what other phrase it rhymes with, usually a cliche or proverb of some sort. Figure it out first, buzz in, and get it right and you net yourself some greenbacks.. more if you answer quicker.

Next is the fast paced, one player Dis or Dat player! Only one player -- the one who picked the catergory -- is allowed to participate in this question. When it starts up, you'll be given two different catergories, each designated to a different key on the keyboard. For instance, "Laverne" would be on key 1 while "Shirley" would be on another. And then, words will start popping up at the top of the screen. You have to figure out if that word matches catergory 1 or catergory 2. I'd love to further the example, but I never really liked Laverne and Shirley, so...

New and somewhat exclusive to Jack Movies and TV is the "whatshisname" question. Although it works a lot like celebrity trash from Jack 3, its different because.. well, it's more official this time. You're given clues as to a celebrity's identity, and then you buzz in when you figure it out. For instance, you get the following clues...

Starred in three different sitcoms that were all somehow named after him... Died in a terrible golfing accident...

When you figure it out, buzz in and answer. Of course, this one was "Bob Newheart". The faster you buzz in, the more money you net.. the more time you wait, the less.. kinda like Gibberish. Clever, hm?

And of course, it wouldn't be You Don't Know Jack if it weren't for the Jack Attack, the final question for each game. In the Jack Attack, you will get a clue based on the catergory you picked for the last question.. for instance "What a Cute Couple!" Then, slowly float to the front of the screen from the back, while random words starting floating elsewhere on the screen. Buzz in when the word that matches the catergory and the clue shows up, and you gain money. So, if the word "Stan Marsh" was leering forward, and you buzzed when "Mr. Garrison" Was floating around, you'd lose money. Buzz in when "Wendy Tasterburger" appears, and you net yourself 2000 bucks. Easy enough, but when competing with two other players, it can be an outrageous test of knowledge and speed.

And who can forget the screw? See, I told you I wouldn't forget.. gather round now, and I'll tell you all about one of Jack's most ingenious inventions.. the screw. If a question shows up for, let's say, the maximum amount of $6,000, and you know there's NO WAY the other players know it.. then screw one of em, preferably the one in the lead or closest to you in the lead. You get one screw for every ten questions, which forces the other player to answer the question. Be warned, though, that if they somehow get it right, they gain the money for the question.. and you, in turn, lose it.

Jack: TV also scores some new style points with more complex graphics and such than you may be used to seeing in the Jack series. For instance, whereas the original Jacks were devoid of most any graphics at all, this one treats you with number markers that look like old TV Box Sets and a round counter that look like old television tests. It doens't alter the gameplay one single iota, but it helps solidify the theme of the game.

Sounds have been changed somewhat to fit the telelvision theme, too. The sound of static and a laugh track all accompany the games where blips and whirrs did before. The effect is memorable, and helps further envelop you in the television theme. The host is pretty good, and reads every question off in it completion, offering you new responses on whatever you picked. The game ends with commercials based on movies and such, and is supported with clean, clear voice throughout.

Jack TV is television trivia done in the way that only Jellyvision and friends could provide. If you're the type of person who Loves Lucy or has literally memorized lines of ER, then you'll feel right in place here. It's true TV trivia, not just about current sitcoms and dramas. So, if y'know a couple of other TV freaks who are just dying for something else to do.. get a hold of this game, a computer, and go nuts.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99