If you would have told me, as little as a week ago, that there was a way to make a crossword puzzle into a serious action-packed battle royale, I would have thought you were on something.  Seriously–the very idea is just lunatic.  But then I downloaded Merv Griffin’s Crosswords from Xbox Live Arcade, and I discovered that even a crossword puzzle can be jacked up and run at horrific speeds.

At first, you’ll be playing against one opponent, computer controlled or with another person.  You’ll be filling in answers on a giant crossword puzzle, and trying to do so before your opponent can.  Yes, it’s like a timed crossword puzzle.  Things get REALLY wild when so-called “spoilers” are introduced who are vying for your place in the action.  See, each CONTESTANT doesn’t really win anything.  If you answer a thousand-dollar question, you personally don’t get that money–your PODIUM does.  Whoever’s in control of the winning podium at the end of the game wins whatever’s attached to that podium, and this is where the spoilers step in.  If they answer a question before you do, they can take control of your podium away, and carry on as if they’d been winning all along.

I don’t know how many times, my first play through, I lost and regained control of podiums.  I’ve lost count.  But what really got me was that I was having a blast playing a game made by the guy who made Wheel of Fortune.  It’s hard to believe, but no matter how strange it seems, there’s no denying that it’s just plain fun.