Smart Discs: Great CDs and DVDs for TV

by Jim Mikles
Summer 1998

You Don't Know Jack

For the most compelling multi-player, living room gaming experience around, the You Don't Know Jack series of CD-ROM trivia games by Berkeley Systems, Inc. is a solid bet. The original "Irreverent Quiz Show Party Game," YDKJ allows up to three players to compete at a time, bringing the PC or PC/TV solidly into the entertainment arena. Jack is formatted like a TV quiz show, with players competing for "dollars" under the guidance (or misguidance, as the case may be) of a smart-aleck host who reads the questions and makes snide remarks to winners and losers alike. Both the graphic design and writing are fresh, original, funny and aimed at a mature audience. With Jack now branching from the original version into sports and TV, it's a fixture on our list of TV-friendly discs for its content, design and multi-player interactivity. YDKJ also has an online version that allows contestants to play against each other over the Internet.

Connections

The TV program Connections has earned a devoted following of fans on The Learning Channel because of its unique take on history, pointing out the seemingly unrelated "connections" that are behind historical innovations. The Connections Mind Game CD-ROM from Discovery Multimedia is a worthy spin-off from the program. Host and creator James Burke leads players through a confused, intriguing 3D world where the goal is to find items that fit into the grand chain of connections. Once a player finds an item that fits in the chain, he or she can click on it to see a video about its significance, including its relationship to other items in the chain. Once one chain is complete, players move to the next level. It's not easy, but it's clever, fun and filled with interesting animation, video and audio that makes it a worthy entry in our list of TV-friendly discs for TV.