iToys recently supplied Buzzer with two copies of the 1 VS 100 electronic table top game. The recent track history of game show home games haven’t been that great (See the Who Wants to be a Millionaire? plug-and-play game plus the Deal or No Deal games), so I was a little nervous. I couldn’t have been proven any more incorrect. The game is rather small and easily fits on any table. The controller is also easy to read and large enough to not press another button accidentally. The cover so opposing players cannot see what you press also works terrificaly.One of my greatest joys about this game is that, to my total shock, it follows the rules of the television show to perfection. It’s the $1,000 to $10,000 money scale; you have to answer 3 questions at $1,000 before you get Escape number 1 and 2 questions at $2,000 for Escape 2. The questions are written exactly like NBC has them. They start off easy and get harder as they go. When I say they are written like NBC has them, they are worded in a way where you would have to know more than one thing to know what the right answer is. The three Helps, (Ask, Trust, and Poll the Mob) work like the show. When you only have 10 left, you are given Sneak Peak as well, where you can see the show. You can leave with your money at any Escape, but a wrong answer divides your money among the remaining mob members.

I was afraid of the LCD screen when I first opened the box. I half figured for it to be dim and not able to read a word. However, the text is readable, the screen is backlit, and it scrolls at the perfect speed so you can see the question/answers without waiting all day. The game even uses actual music from the show, including the Help music, the show’s main theme, and the show’s sting. The audio file is compressed into a lower quality, obviously, but I was shocked just how recognizable it was. What was really interesting was when you play the game with more than one person, when you stop with the money, you continue to play the game and you have to pretend you are still playing. That way your opponent doesn’t know when to stop.

Honestly, the only complaint I have is that it takes a huge amount of batteries: 4 AAs and 3 AAAs. However, for the high quality of this product, it really doesn’t matter. I’m horrendously cheap and picky, but this game blew me away. If you’re a fan, there’s no excuse not to own this. It’s fun, it’s exciting, and it’s worth the money.BUY THE 1 VS 100 TABLETOP GAME FROM TARGET