Customer Reviews

Wheel Of Fortune Handheld Electronic Game

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I received this as a gift yesterday. There seems to be some sort of curse on home versions of Wheel of Fortune; they're nearly all badly flawed in one way or another. But this seems reasonably good.

Four AAA batteries are required. The battery doors screw on; this has the advantage of making them nearly impossible to lose, but it does mean that you'll need a small Phillips-head screwdriver to install the batteries in the first place.

The game can be played by 1 to 3 players. In the one- or two-player game, you're playing against a single computer opponent; in the three-player game, the computer does not take part.

The game contains around 400 puzzles. Theoretically, cartridges can be purchased that have several hundred additional puzzles apiece; but I haven't seen the cartridges on sale in quite a while, so don't count on this.

The keyboard is well-designed, with clearly-marked buttons for spinning, solving, buying vowels, and reminding you of the puzzle category and the player's scores.

The screen is small, but quite clear, requiring only moderate light to be playable. The screen does show the "used letter board" as well as the puzzle, but the used-letter-board area is quite small, so you may need better light (or squinting) to see it.

The lack of a volume control is a problem. The sound can be turned on and off, but when it's on, it's quite loud; this is compounded by the fact that the speaker is on the back of the unit, so it's substantially louder for the potentially-irritated bystanders than it is for the person actually playing the game. However, as with many handheld toys, this can be corrected with a little creativity--just tape index cards or other sturdy paper over the speaker grille until the sound is muffled to an acceptable level.

The game itself is well-implemented. The rules of Wheel of Fortune are all there and correct, though the game only lasts for three rounds instead of the TV show's "whatever we can fit into about fifteen minutes". The bonus round is there as well, and it plays just the way it does on the show (you're given TNRSLE for free, allowed to choose three consonants and a vowel, and given a limited amount of time to solve the puzzle). The game keeps track of the highest score you've reached.

My only complaint with the actual gameplay is the computer opponent, which has done a poor job in the seven or eight games I've played; it seems to pick letters pretty much at random (guessing letters like "J" or "W" instead of "T" or "N" or some other letter more likely to appear), and it's prone to solving puzzles when it has very little money (even solving two puzzles when it had $0--though the game does award the 'house minimum' of $500 for solving a puzzle with no money).

So if you don't mind the high sound volume and the potential lack of cartridges, and you can put up with a slightly-ditzy computer opponent (perhaps a good simulation of some of the folks who actually make it onto the show...), this is a fun little toy.

The game is great. It would rate 5 stars if only I could find
the additional game cartridges for it. It seems as though it may
not be possible to expand this game any futher.

It's a good toy, but sometimes the vowels don't work. Even when you have enough money to buy a vowel and push the "buy" button, it doesn't work. It's still a fun toy and you can tote it with where ever you go. This is not a complaint, but when you push the volume button, and the sound is on, it goes to mute instead of lowering the volume. Sometimes it's just a little too loud.

I misunderstood the dimensions listed ( 7.5 x 1.5 x 10.5 inches ) and thought it would be large enough for my mother to see and handle. It isn't. Apparently, the dimensions include the packaging. She loves Wheel Of Fortune on TV, and I thought this game would be terrific therapy for her hands. Very disappointing. I'll be returning it, unopened.

The wheel of fortune game is fantastic. I had one before and it got stolden. I could'nt seem to find a replacement for it. I am glad that you had one. I am saving up now for that poker game you have. Thanks again

My 9-year-old daughter got this for her birthday. She plays with it all the time in the car and sometimes at home. I even play it too, it's very addicting. The game is easy to play, there's a button for every letter and separate buttons for spin, buy, solve, score, and if you forgot the theme of the puzzle there's a button for that too. The graphics & sound are good. The sound effects can get annoying after a while so I'm glad there's a sound on/off button. The cartridge that comes with the game has a lot of words, my daughter has had the game for almost a year and is just now getting words she's had before. The only bad thing about this game is that it doesn't tell you what letters you've used, which can get annoying especially if more than one person is playing and you keep picking letters other people have already used. 1-3 people can play, if you play alone you're playing against 2 computer opponents.
Wheel of Fortune is durable, my daughter has dropped it a few times and it still works great. This game is definitely worth the money, buy it today!

I had a friend that had this game only it was twice the size! I was very dissappointed when this came in the mail. It is so small you can hardly pick your letters on the keyboard and you need a magnifying glass to see the screen. We are sending this back. Oh and you HAVE to play agasinst the computer if you have it on 1 or 2 player - A waste of time. I am still searching for the larger model but I think this is the "new and improved" version. Don't waste your time with this game.

I purchased this item and loved it. Then I looked more online where I can get similiar and older types of handheld games. I found this one website called ElectronicHandHelds.com. This place has over 1,500 inventory of every classic arcade game that I was looking for. I definitely suggest you buy this item and check out;

[...]

I never purchase an item with bad reviews but as I have un upcoming stay at the hospital I decided to buy this game to help pass the time. I figured the cost was worth the risk. Well, don't bother buying it! I love the Wheel of Fortune game on T.V. but this felt nothing like it! The sound is annoying and loud. There is a mute button but it would have been nice be able to turn the volume down. The buttons are very small so if you want to buy this for someone who has trouble with their hands (arthritis etc.) or doesn't see well, this is not the right game! The game is very slow. You press spin and then have to wait while the little ball spins around the screen - trust me, it's not like watching the actual wheel spin on T.V. Then you don't have long when it's your turn to pick a letter. If you take a moment to think about your letter, you end up missing your turn as it moves to the next player. Also, the letters on the screen arn't clear and bold. You don't get the feel of the gameshow at all. I haven't played with it much (really couldn't force myself!) but as far as I can tell, there is no way to get the answer to the puzzle if you've given up or just want to move on to another puzzle. You have to wait it out. All in all, I'm very disappointed - but not surprised as most of the other reviews were clearly not positive!

My rating is for the older version.

Hopefully they have discontinued this model to bring back the older version. My father enjoyes the older version of this game, but I need to find him a replacement and I don't think we would be able to use this keyboard.