bigjim25

Since we talked about Gameshows in another thread, I thought I'd ask what your all-time favorite Price Is Right game is? Mine is PUNCHBOARD!

Games are listed alphabetically, by decade of first appearance.

THE 1970's<small>

3 Strikes 1976-

The #s in the price of a car are placed into a bag, along with three strikes. If the player draws a number, s/he tries to determine which digit of the car that # is. If wrong, the number goes back into the bag. Player can keep drawing until all three strikes have been drawn. Originally played for inexpensive cars, now it is exclusively played for high dollar cars (Cadillacs, Lincolns, etc.). NOTE: Became "3 Strikes +", where 5-digit cars were offered, usually at least $30,000 in value. Early in 1994, the "+" was dropped. Early in 1998, in an effort to boost the game's low winning percentage, only one strike was placed into the bag; it would be returned to the bag if drawn.

"Bullseye I" (assumed name) 1972 (retired)
The contestant tried to win a car by correctly guessing its price. Seven chances were offered with the host saying "higher/lower." This is the first PG played on the syndicated version (with Dennis James) and made a few appearances on the Barker version.

2-Player Bullseye I/2-Player Auction 1972 (Retired)
After a contestant won their way on stage, another audience member came-on-down, and a second one-bid was played to determine the opponent. Those two players would then bid back and forth on a car (or boat) until one won.

Any Number 1972 -
This was the first pricing game ever played. Three prizes: a car, a three-digit prize, and a piggy bank (three digits denoting dollars and cents) - each digit 0-9 appears once and only once (except for 5-digit cars, where the first digit is given free and is the only one that repeats). Player guesses digits until completing a price and winning that prize.

Bonus Game 1972 -
Four small prizes are presented with wrong prices; player guesses "higher" or "lower" to win ezch prize and to control the window on the game board next to the prize. Controlling the window that lights up "BONUS" at the end wins another, larger prize.

Bullseye 1976 -
Six products are shown; player picks a product and guesses how many of that product would total $10-12. Doing so hits the Bullseye for a win. After three chances, player can still win if a hidden bullseye is behind one of the 3 products the player used, providing that the player did not go over $6 with those products. (NOTE: These values were originally $5-6)

Card Game 1974 -
First, contestant draws a card from a deck to find out how close s/he must come to the price of a car to win it ($200-$1000). From a regular deck of cards, player starts bidding on car: cards worth $100 x face value, with face cards worth $1000 and aces worth anything up to $1000 (later the aces were wild and could be made for any amount). Coming w/in the first card's range w/o going over wins the car. The first time the card game was played, the $200-$1000 cards were used for both the range and the bidding. The second time it was played, only the standard 52 card deck was used, and the third and all subsequent times both decks were used. Later, the contestants were spotted a $2000 opening bid and allowed to make aces any amount; currently, the starting point is $8000 and the winning range can be anywhere from $500-$2000.)

Cliff Hangers 1976 -

Three 2-digit prizes; player guesses price of each; each one wrong causes a mountain climber to climb a mountain one step for each dollar away; player wins if mountain climber doesn't fall off (after 25th step).

Clock Game 1972 -
Two (and on one or two rare occasions, three) prizes of up to $1000 were offered. The contestant has a total of 30 seconds to bid on both prizes, one at a time. Host helps with "higher/ lower." (NOTE: a few times, Prizes worth more than $1000 were used; Bob gave the contestant the thousands digit as a freebie. In the 1986 CBS prime-time version, a contestant who won both prizes picked one of four envelopes for a cash bonus of $1000, $2000, $3000 or $5000.) On the Dennis James version, winning both prizes with 2 or more seconds to spare netted a $1000 bonus.

Danger Price 1976 -
Contestant is shown four prizes and the "danger price" and picks the three prizes that are not that price. Originally played on the turntable, then behind the giant price tag, and finally behind Door #2 with the prizes, this is the only Pricing Game to have had three different stage set-ups.

Dice Game 1976 -
Player rolls four dice one at a time; each die corresponds to a digit of a car (now always 5 digits; first digit is given); if the # rolled by the player is not the correct digit, player must guess whether the actual digit is higher or lower than the roll. There are no zeroes and no numbers higher than six. ((NOTE: When the first five-digit cars appeared, the game was briefly renamed "Deluxe Dice Game" Also, when the game was first introduced, the numbers could (and did) go higher than six. This was quickly scrapped in favor of the 1-6 range they use today)).

Double Digits 1973 (retired)
Combination of "Temptation" and "Switcheroo"; player is shown four 2-digit prizes and the last digit of each; their first digits are digits of a car. Each correct price wins that prize. This game was played twice (at least). The second time, the player was given a choice of two (adjacent) digits for each digit of the car price (also, at the time, this was the only game besides "Any Number" where it said "Car" next to the price. Bob had to remind the audience that "just because it says '2' there doesn't mean it's right" - after the contestant said "2" for the first digit, it appeared, and most people thought it was like "Any Number").

Double Prices 1972 -
Uninspired, yet enduring game from the show's earliest stages where the contestant wons a prize by picking the correct price from two choices.

Finish Line 1977-78 (retired)
The "Finish Line" was a movable bar that represented prices of selected items in the game. Three pairs of small prizes were shown, and the contestant was asked to pick an item to move the Finish Line. The idea was to pick the lesser of the two prices and the Finish Line would move that number of dollars. The total of the prices of the three items not selected by the contestant would be how far the horse moved. It was killed quickly.

Five Price Tags 1972-
5 possible prices of a car are shown. Answer true/false prize questions and win up to 4 choices. Pick right price for car and win. Known early on as the 'True or False' game and is one of the few games to not have its name appear on any prop.

Give Or Keep 1973-90 (retired)
Three pairs of 2-digit prizes are shown; player keeps one and gives the other back. If the total of the kept items was at least as high as the total of the given-away items, the player won a prize. (The player won the three "kept" items regardless of the totals.)

Golden Road 1975 -
Starting with a small product (eg 39 cents), Determine which of the two digits of its price belongs in the missing spot on a 3-digit prize. If correct, price of 3-digit prize is used the same way with a 4-digit prize. If correct there, player goes to the end of the Golden Road, where a luxury car, yacht, Winnebago, etc. awaits. (NOTE: Originally, the final prize was not THAT big; first digit was almost always "1", but this was in the days of $4000 cars. Now, prizes are almost always more than $30,000 and have been known to reach $70,000.)

Grocery Game 1972 -
Five grocery items are shown; player selects an item and a quantity, and the total is rung up on a cash register. Player won if the total was between $6.75-$7. (NOTE: Now, the winning range is $20-$21. This game was played on the second show. Early on, there was a $100 bonus for not going over $7, even if the player didn't reach $6.75.)

HI-LO 1973 -
6 products are shown. Choose the three highest priced products and you win.

Hole in One/Hole in One...or Two 1977 -

Player puts 6 products into what s/he believes is the correct price order (lowest to highest). For each correct product, player gets to attempt a mini-golf putt one line closer to the hole. If all 6 are correct, contestant putts from barely a foot away from the hole and also picks up a $500 bonus. Sinking the putt wins a new car or truck. (NOTE: In the 1986 nighttime version, this became "Hole in One...or Two", offering two putts. This change was subsequently made on the daytime show as well. Also, in the nighttime version, ordering the products correctly won a $1000 bonus. Bob Barker always takes an "inspiration putt" from the farthest line; originally, the audience booed rare misses. On one episode, half the show's crew came out to watch and placed bets.)

Hurdles 1976-83 (retired)
Player begins with a product whose price is revealed and attached to a hurdler. There are three pairs of prices, representing hurdles; player selects which of each pair is less than the "hurdler's price" so the hurdler will "jump over" it. Player wins if hurdler clears all three hurdles. This is the only pricing game that ever involved the host firing a gun into the air.

It's Optional 1979-83 (retired)
Only game to regularly offer two cars, which were the same model, but with different prices. Player adds up to three options (for example, Power Steering) to the lower priced car; if its price comes within $100 of the higher priced model without going over, player wins both cars.

Lucky Seven 1974 -

What on Earth is going on here? Well, this is a nighttime special, so he got the last digit for free. Then, when they were supposed to reveal the third digit, they revealed the fourth instead! Yeah, he won this car!
Player is given $7 and attempts to guess each number in a car's price. For each # the player is off, s/he must give back $1. Having at least $1 left at the end allows player to buy car. With five-digit cars, the first digit is given free. (Note - the 5 digit version of Lucky 7 premiered on the 1986 primetime specials, and at that time, the LAST digit was given free)

Money Game 1973 -

Nine two-digit numbers are displayed; one is the first two digits of the car (occasionally boat or snowmobile) being played for (denoted by a picture of the front half of a car behind the card), another, the last two digits (back end of the car). The remaining seven are marked "$", with that amount awarded to the contestant, who keeps picking until finding both halves of prize (wins car and money) or four money cards (wins the money). With five-digit cars, the third digit is given to the contestant. (NOTE: Around '84-'85, when 5-digit cars first appeared, this game was briefly renamed "Big Money Game.")

Most Expensive / All or Nothing at All 1973 -
Pick which of three prizes is the most expensive to win all three. On the Dennis James TPiR, it was called "All or Nothing at All".

Mystery Price 1974 (retired)
Player is shown a prize whose price is the "mystery price". Player is then shown four more prizes and must guess their prices; if not over, their guesses go into a bank. If bank total is at least mystery prize's price, player wins.

One Right Price 1974 -
Guess which of two prizes is the given price to win both.

Penny Ante 1979 (?) -

The contestant is given three oversized "Barker Pennies" and must give one back for every wrong guess in the game. Two products are used in the game, each with four possible prices. Player wins if he can pick both prices without losing all his/her cents.

Poker Game 1975 -
Four prizes are shown, each with a 3-digit price; player selects two and forms a poker hand from 5 of the 6 digits (9 high, 0 low, straights don't count), then decides whether to keep the hand or give it to the house; other hand is made up of digits from the other two prizes - if player's hand is at least as good as house's, player wins all four prizes.

Professor Price 1977 (retired)
Not a pricing game at all; contestant stood in front of a robotic Johnny Olsen-alike and answered general- knowledge questions. More right than wrong answers won a prize. Retired quickly for not fitting in.

Punch-a-Bunch aka "The Punchboard" 1978 -
Four "higher or lower" prizes, each one also awarding a punch on a giant 50-hole punchboard containing 10 $50 prizes, 10 $100, 10 $250, 10 $500, 5 $1000, 3 $5000, and 2 $10,000. One each of the four lowest values is a "second chance"; this awards an additional punch whose value is added to the previous one. (Thus, it's possible to win more than $10,000 - and it's happened.) After each punch, the player can keep the amount or give it back. Original format of the game (played twice) featured the higher or lower pricing but different play when came time to punch the holes. The player had to punch the holes one at a time and then pick a letter in PUNCH BOARD. The letters hid numbers from 1 to 10, and the holes hid slips of paper marked ONE, TEN, HUNDRED and THOUSAND. So a player punching a HUNDREDS hole and choosing the letter with the 8 won $800, or could give it back. This was terribly time consuming and didn't offer good odds that $10000 could be won, so the format was scrapped. Punch-A-Bunch was the first game to offer cash.

Race Game 1974 -
Four prizes are lined up on stage; player has four price tags and must run to the items, put the right price on the right item, and run back to pull a lever which displays the number correct on a giant screen. Player has 45 seconds to attempt to get all four prices right.

Range Game 1973 -
Player is shown a prize and a $600 price spread; a $150 "range finder" moves slowly from the bottom to the top, and the player must stop it with the actual price in the red $150 range to win. The original range was $50, then $100. A recurring joke in TPiR's latter days was Bob's given length of time before the range-finder could be started again; he began this in the mid-'80s.

Safe Crackers 1976 -
A major prize and a smaller, 3-digit prize are locked in a giant safe. The price of the smaller item is the combination of the safe; the player is given the three digits and wins both prizes if s/he can open the safe.

Secret X 1978 -
An 'X' is hidden in the middle column of a tic-tac-toe board. Player gets a free 'X' and can win up to two more (two prizes, each with two prices; picking correct price wins prize and 'X'); 'X's can be placed in left or right columns. The secret 'X' is then revealed and the player wins if s/he has a 3-in-a-row across or diagonally.

Shell Game 1974 -
A ball is hidden under one of 4 shells. Player guesses higher/lower on prices of four prizes to win control of the shells and wins a bonus prize if s/he controls the shell hiding the ball. If the player wins all four chips, Guessing the correct shell wins a $500 bonus.

Shower Game ? (retired)
Five showers stood on the stage, each marked with a different possible price for a car. One shower was correct, the two next closest price showers won the player $100, the remaining two sprayed the contestant with confetti. Player could jump into showers until winning the car or getting sprayed.

Squeeze Play 1977 -
Five digits are shown for a prize. The first and last digits are correct; the player must remove one of the others, causing the rest to squeeze together into a 4-digit price.

Switcheroo 1976 -
The prices of a car and four smaller prizes are shown, each with the tens digits missing. Player has five number blocks with which to complete the prices. Player is told how many are right, then can make changes (once). Player wins prizes with correct prices.

Take Two 1979 -
Four prizes are shown, along with the total price of two of them. Player gets two chances to pick the two correct prices and win.

Telephone Game ? (retired)
Three prizes are shown, each with a telephone prefix attached. The three prices are also listed. Player wins all three prizes if s/he dials one correct number (prefix plus correct prize) on a large phone. The prize will ring if the player is correct. (Not to be confused with the "Phone Home Game.")

Temptation 1974 -
Four gifts are shown to player. Each one's price contains one of the digits of a car. (In five-digit version, first digit is given free.) Player picks a # from each of the prices. Player can then keep gifts or risk them for the car, but if the car price is wrong, he forfeits the gifts. My vote for third personal favorite game.

Ten Chances 1975-
3 prizes, one under $100, one under $1000, and one a car, are played for one at a time. Player is shown the digits in the price and an extra digit (eg 4-0-5 for $45; 5-7-0-2-8 for $8025, et al.) and must write the correct price; total of 10 chances (hence the name) to win all three prizes. (NOTE: With 5-digit cars, player uses all five #'s given.)

THE 1980's

2 For the Price of 1 1989 -
2 prizes shown. Less expensive prize has 3 digits in Price. 2 choices for each number in price are given; one number is given free. Player picks remaining two numbers correctly to win both prizes.

Add 'em Up 1986-88 (retired)
The player was given the total of the four digits in the price of a car, as well as told one of the digits outright; s/he then tried to guess the remaining three digits.

Balance Game 1984-85 (retired)
Five 2-digit prizes are shown; player selected them one at a time and put their value (in Barker Silver Dollars) on one side or the other of a scale. Player won if both sides were ever within $5 of each other.

Barker's Bargain Bar 1980 -
Two prizes are shown with lower than actual prices; player guesses which one is "the bigger bargain" (more below the actual price) to win both.

Blank Check / Check Game 1981 -
Write a check whose value plus the value of the prize totals between $3000 and $3500 to win the prize *and* the cash. This game is now called "Check Game", and the winning range is now $5000-$6000. Blank Check's claim to fame in the beginning was that very few contestants understood how to play it.

Bump 1986-92 (retired)

Four prices, each on a miniature train caboose, were presented. Two of them were the actual prices of the two prizes offered; the player won if s/he had the correct model "bump" the prices into the correct slots (Dian bumped from l to r, Janice from r to l). The models "wound up" for their bumps in a way that endeared this game to the male segment of the audience. NOTE: Holly once filled in as bumper, but failed to knock the other end's price off the counter.

Check-Out 1982 -
Estimate prices of five products. Total must be within $1.00 of actual total (used to be 50 cents).

Grand Game 1980 -
Six products and a "target price" are shown; four of the six are below that price. Player begins with $1 and adds a zero for each correct prize selected; game ends when all four are found ($10,000) or a mistake is made (keep money unless s/he was trying for $10,000, in which
case s/he loses everything. Player is offered the chance to quit w/ $1000.)

Hit Me 1980 -
Blackjack game. Six products are shown with prices that could be correct or multiples of 1-10. The appropiate card is hidden behind the price. The "House" builds its hand from the rest of the deck. Player wins w/either 21 or a better hand than the house, which hits on 16 and stays at 17. Player takes ties. Rather easy to win if you know what you're doing: just pick the 10x price (usually the only one ending in 0) and the actual price.

Master Key 1983 -
5 keys: 3 open one "prize lock" each, 1 "Master Key" (opens all 3), other opens none. Two chances to win keys; two 2-digit prizes with 3-digit prices are shown; contestant picks either first two or last two numbers as the price. Correct guess wins prize and choice of key. Whatever prizes you "unlock", you win. The 3rd lock is always a car, the 2nd is usually a trip. This wins my vote as 2nd personal favorite.

Now or Then / Now and Then 1980 -
Prices are displayed for products. The contestent must determine whether the prices are todays, or from a time in the past. Three correct answers "in a row" (there are six, as wedges on a wheel) to win. Game used to be called Now and Then.

On The Nose 1984-85 (retired)
Player is shown four prices for a car and selects one; the one price that is correct, if chosen, is worth 4 tries at some athletic feat (one of the following: baseball pitch, football throw, basketball lay-in, dart throw), next closest is worth 3 and so on.

One Away 1984 -
Numbers shown in price of car are one away from actual digits; that is, if the last digit is shown as 7, it could be 6 or 8. Player guesses digits and is told how many are correct ("Ladies, do I have at least one number right?"), if at least one digit is correct, player can make changes once.

Pathfinder 1988 -

Contestant stands on a 5 x 5 grid of 25 digits; starts on center square (first digit of 5-digit car, '*' if 4-digit car) and must step to adjacent digits in attempt to build car price; up to 3 mistakes can be recovered by guessing which of two prices shown for one of 3 smaller prizes is correct.

Phone Home Game 1983-87(retired)
Home audience sent in postcards; home player and studio player "team up" for a chance to share up to $15,000 in cash. Seven "dollars and cents" items; home player names a price, studio player must select the correct prize. This is done three times; two of the prizes are $100, two $1000, one $2000, one $3000, and one $10,000; players split money (ergo, max. prize was $7500 apiece).

Pick a Pair 1982 -
Six products are shown. Player gets two chances to pick two with same price to win. Three such pairs are on the board. Originally set on a ferris wheel, the game proved unnerving while contestants waited for a product to reappear and was redone as a simple table game.

Plinko 1/3/83 -
Game starts with four small prizes, each with a 2-digit price showing (eg $37). Contestant guesses whether the 1st or last digit is correct, with a correct guess winning the prize and a "Plinko Chip". (One chip given free at start, therefore the max # of chips is 5). Chips are used on a giant peg board; cash prizes of zero, $100, $500, $1000, and $5000 await at the bottom. Player places chips flat against the board and releases them one at a time, and the chips bounce off various pegs until landing in a $ spot. Bob Barker retreives stuck Plinko chips with his trusty "Plinko Stick". In August, 1996, CBS aired a 25th Anniversary Special in primetime to celebrate The Price is Right's long run. On that special episode, Plinko was played with a special $10,000 slot replacing the $5000 slot. This slot became $10,000 permanently during the 27th season, meaning that a total of $50,000 can be won. This is easily the most popular game in TPiR history.

Super Ball 1981-98 (retired)

Skeeball game. Four prizes, each with two prices; player guesses which price is right to win it and a skeeball. Three of the balls are tied to specific (big) prizes; the skeeball ramp has "$50", "$100", and "WIN" circles. The fourth ball is the "$uperball"; dollar values are tripled, and "WIN" nets the player all three prizes. (If the player has already won all three prixes, the $uperball is worth $3000 in cash.)

Spelling Bee 1988 -
30 numbered cards: 11 'C's, 11 'A's, 6 'R's, 2 'CAR's. Start with two free cards; win up to three more (three prizes; guess price within $10 to win an extra card; if any price is guessed exactly, player wins all 3 prizes and cards automatically.) Spell "CAR" to win. Player can stop at any time and keep $500 per unseen card.

Super Saver 1989-96 (retired)
Six products are shown, along with incorrect prices: five are low, one is high. Player selects four and must save $1.00 to win. NOTE: Player must pick four, even if s/he has already saved $1 after two or three products. It is still relatively easy to win even if the marked-up product is
chosen. This game was retired after the 24th season because of constant mechanical problems.

Trader Bob 1980-83 (retired)
Player begins with a 2-digit prize and is shown 3 pairs of similar prizes, trading their current prize for one of the two. Player wins if each of the three trades was for a higher-value item. (In other words, pick which of a pair of items is higher-priced three times.)

Walk Of Fame 1983-85 (retired)
Four prizes of increasing value are shown; player must guess each price within a predetermined amount to move to the next prize. The player is allowed to recover one mistake by selecting the one of two autograph books that reads "second chance" on the back page. The contestant always got to keep one of the autograph books, signed by the entire cast.

THE 1990's

Gallery Game 1990-91 (retired)
A painting of the prize is shown with one of the digits only partially painted. The player is given a paint brush and completes the number. If s/he paints the right number, s/he wins the prize.

Barker's Markers 1994 -
Three prizes and four prices are shown; contestant is also given $500 cash to start the game. The contestant picks three of the four prices, after which two of the correct prices are shown (there will always be at least two right). Player then has the option to change his/her final price and give back the $500 or leave his/her choice intact. If wrong, player forfeits $500. Known as "Make Your Mark" in its one appearance on Doug Davidson's version of the show.

Buy or Sell 1994 (?) -
Three prizes with incorrect prices are shown. Player "buys" prizes s/he feels are underpriced and "sells" those that are overpriced and wins all three if s/he ends up in the black. In 1998 the game was modified so that the contestant gets to keep any money s/he earns.

Clearance Sale 1998 -
3 prizes are offered with prices on each. Contestant has 3 sale prices which s/he must place on each item so that every item has a sale price. This game seems like the replacement for the Poker Game because of the prizes offered (when they say clearance, they aren't kidding).

Cover Up 1993 (?) -

A price is given for a car, but it's completely wrong. Player builds a new price w/2 choices for the first digit, 3 for the 2nd and so on to 6 for the last digit. Every time a change results in one more correct digit, another chance is given.

Credit Card 1987 -
Player has a "credit limit" and must select three out of five prizes whose total does not exceed that limit to win. In effect, select the lowest three prices out of five, as only one combination wins.

Easy As 1-2-3 1996 -
Contestant places three numbered blocks in front of three prizes, attempting to correctly order them in value to win.

Fortune Hunter 1997-2000(retired)
Four prizes are shown, each with a gift box - three are empty, one contains $5,000 cash. Host reads a series of three clues as to which prizes do not have the cash (e.g. "Eliminate the prize whose price begins with seven." "Eliminate the most expensive prize.") If the remaining box has the cash, player also wins all four prizes. This game was difficult to win (it was not won at all in the 28th season) and was put to rest in 2000.

Freeze Frame 1994 (?) -
Eight sets of two-digit numbers rotate clockwise on the game board. The contestant must stop the numbers so the two sets that make up the correct price appear at the top in the correct order to win.

It's In the Bag 1997 -
Five grocery items are presented, as are five "shopping bags," each displaying a price and concealing a duplicate of the appropriate product. Player matches all items to the prices; getting the first one correct is worth $1,000, with each successive reveal double-or-nothing up to a grand prize of $16,000. Contestant has option of stopping after each reveal and keeping the money won to that point.

Joker 1994 -
A row of five playing cards is presented, face down. By guessing one of two prices for each of four small prizes (a la $35 or $53; $45 or $54, et al.), contestant removes one of the cards and wins the game if the joker is removed. Therefore, contestant can win with only one correct answer or lose with all four correct. This is one game that SHOULD be retired.

Let 'em Roll 9/20/99 -
Player is given one roll of five dice to start the game and can earn two more rolls by pricing three grocery items. The price of a first grocery item is shown and the contestant must guess if the next grocery item is higher or lower than the first. S/he subsequently guesses if the third grocery item is higher or lower than the second. For each correct guess, s/he wins another roll, for a maximum possibility of three rolls of the dice. The five dice are exactly the same; each has a car picture on three sides of the dice, $500 on the fourth side, $1000 on the fifth side, and $1500 on the sixth side. If the contestant should roll cars on all five dice, s/he wins the car. Should the roll have at least one die not showing a car, the contestant can take the money shown on the cash die/dice and leave the game, or "freeze" the car die/dice and roll the remaining dice (should s/he have one or two rolls remaining). If the contestant obtains five dice with cars by the end of his rolls, s/he wins the car; if not, s/he wins the dollar amount(s) shown on the dice.

Line 'em Up 1998 -
Player is offered the chance of winning a car if s/he can "line up" the price of the car vertically by using the numbers from three other prizes. The player is given the first and last number in the price of the car, and the prices of the 3 other prizes are displayed horizontally with sliders so the contestant can choose a number in each of the 3 prizes that s/he thinks is the second, third, and fourth number in the price of the car respectively. One of the prizes has a 2 digit price, the other two have 3 digits. If the player lines up all three prizes correctly showing the ARP of the car, s/he wins all three prizes and the car. If any number is incorrect, the player is shown how many numbers they have right (1, 2 or 3) and is offered one more chance to get it right. This game has 17-1 odds of winning, yet it has been won most of the time it has been played.

Magic # 1992 -
Two prizes are shown; the player must select a price in between the values of the two prizes by manipulating the leever on the geezmo.

Make Your Move 1990 -
Nine digits appear in a string; these are the prices of a 2-digit, a 3-digit, and a 4-digit prize (none overlap). Player must determine which is which to win all three.

One Wrong Price 1998 -
One Wrong Price is played for 3 prizes, each with a price displayed. Choose which price is wrong, and you win all 3 prizes.

Pick a Number 1992 -
Price of prize is shown with one number missing. Pick right number from choice of three and win. This wins the vote for the most uninspired game ever, taking the title from Double Prices. It needs to be retired.

Push Over 1999 -
A series of blocks are displayed with the price of a 4 digit prize hidden in the series of blocks in the right order. The contestant has to push the blocks so that the price appears in a blue frame. The contestant can push some or all of the blocks off the table & "into China" at which point they are out of play.

Shopping Spree 1996 -
Player "buys" three of four prizes, the total ARPs of which must be over a pre-set amount to win all four. In effect, this game is the opposite of Credit Card.

Side by Side 1995 -
Two sets of two-digit numbers are shown; player arranges them in the order of what they believe is the price of a prize (e.g. '53' and '46'; is it $4653 or $5346?)

Split Decision 1995-96 (retired)
The contestant is shown a series of eight numbers, which he/she slides up or down the gameboard to form prices of two prizes (one 5-digit and one 3-digit; the numbers are in order left to right). 20 seconds are on the clock to make as many guesses as needed: right prices wins them both. Later, the 20 second clock was removed, and the contestant was simply given 3 chances to get the price right. This game was miserably frustrating, and didn't last long.

Swap Meet 1991 -
One prize is shown in front of the big door, three more behind it. Without knowing the price of the first prize, the contestant must pick the one prize of the three with the same price in order to win.

Switch? 1992 -
Two prizes, two prices. Must decide whether prices are correct or whether they should be switched. Most notable for the peppy music played during a switch.

THE 2000's

Flip Flop 2/25/00 -
Four digits of the price of the prize are shown in two groups of two. However, the initial setting of the digits is incorrect. The contestant can [1], "Flip" the first two digits and reverse their order (i.e., "58" would become "85"), [2], "Flop" the last two digits and reverse their order, or, [3], "Flip Flop," and reverse the order of both sets of digits. Should the contestant Flip/Flop/Flip Flop correctly, s/he wins the prize. Confusing as all get out.

That's Too Much 4/19/01 -
That's Too Much! is the second pricing game to premiere in the show's 29th season. The game is played for a car. A row of 10 concealed prices, each one higher than the last, for the car is shown. The object of the game is to find the first price which is "Too Much!"; that is, higher than the ARP of the car. The contestant goes from one price to the next, each time deciding to go on or to say "That's Too Much!", indicating that s/he believes it is the first price to be higher than the ARP of the car. If the contestant stops at a price that is lower than the price of the car or is higher than the price of the car but not the first price higher than the car, s/he loses. I had trouble figuring out if this game is a late April Fool's Day joke or not, but it appears to be real. Soon to be coined nickname for this game: "That's Too Hard!"

Triple Play 10/2/00 -
This is the first pricing game to be played for 3 cars. The pricing game is actually 3 games in one. For the first car, the contestant is shown two prices. The contestant must choose which of the prices is nearest the actual retail price, without going over. Both prices may be under the ARP of the car, or one may be over. If the contestant is correct, s/he moves on to the second car. A similar game is played, but now there are three prices shown. If the contestant is correct, s/he moves onto the last car, which has four prices shown. If the contestant is correct, s/he wins all three cars. The game is all or nothing. Any incorrect guess along the way ends the game.

[Edited by bigjim25 on 04-26-01 at 11:24 PM]