What is Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: 2nd Edition?

The phenomenon known as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire has finally made its way to the Mac — and it’s more tantalizing to play on-screen than you might think. Based on the TV game show of the same name, the game’s first edition is the top-selling PC game in 2000 to date. It’s not hard to see why. The drive to become a millionaire — if only with virtual money — can be quite powerful.

The game’s developers did an admirable job of preserving the feel of the ABC TV show in which Regis Philbin asks up to 15 multiple-choice questions. With each correct answer, contestants move closer to millionaire status. The game comes complete with music, set, and Regis’s voice (thank god for mute buttons). As on the show, the three lifelines (50/50, Phone A Friend, and Ask The Audience) are genuinely useful. In the virtual version of Phone A Friend, you can’t call your own buddies, but you can contact a “friend” of Regis — for instance, his mechanic — who often knows enough to help you out. Ask The Audience, the coolest option, gives you the results of a poll of 50 real-life people, so you actually get statistically valid results.

Several people can compete for a spot in the hot seat using the Fastest Finger option, which asks you to put four answers to a list-based question in sequential order. Players tap a key when the right sequence appears onscreen. Unfortunately, if no one answers correctly (a distinct possibility, since the questions can be difficult), the game sometimes quits. Another annoyance is that questions repeat just often enough to take some of the challenge out of the game. However, you may find this a saving grace, as the questions, especially above the $32,000 mark, can reach a horrendously difficult level. Anyone know what a three-star general is called? (Please don’t write to us if you do.)

In the end, the mark of a good game is that you want to play until it drives you insane. On that front, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire succeeds in a big way.

Lu, Cathy. (August 2000). Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, 2nd Edition. MacAddict. (pg. 72).

Download Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: 2nd Edition for Mac

Architecture

IBM PowerPC

System Requirements

From Mac OS 8.1 up to Mac OS 9.2

Compatibility notes

Architecture: PPC (G3 or faster recommended)

At least 32MB of RAM

Mac OS 8.1 - Mac OS 9.2.2

A monitor supporting thousands of colors (16-bits mode)

Note: Might require the physical CD to be mounted (not a disk image)

 

Emulating this? It could probably run under: SheepShaver