Classic Concentration

Revival of the classic NBC game show in which two contestants, one a returning champion, faced a computer-generated board of 25 numbered squares. Game play was the same as before: Each contestant selected a pair of numbers on the board to be uncovered, which revealed the names of prizes which needed to be paired to be earned, and WILD and TAKE cards (the latter two explained later). Failing to match a pair of prize names passed control to the opponent, but a match awarded whatever prize was named or a TAKE marker, revealed two pieces of a rebus (identifying a person, phrase, place, thing, etc.) and allowed him/her a chance to solve the rebus. WILD cards provided an automatic match; revealing two WILD cards in the same turn earned a $500 bonus, while uncovering the third take meant a $1,000 bonus and the opportunity to reveal up to five pieces of the rebus at once. Contestants uncovering a TAKE card (red and green cards, with a color match required) could, upon a correct match, elect to hold onto the marker to wait for their opponent to collect a better prize or to claim a desired prize their opponent had already earned or previously taken. Only upon correctly solving the rebus does a player actually win what he/she claimed from the board; the loser forfeits all his gifts. The winner played a bonus game that used a 15-square board, with a car used as a grand prize. The model names of eight cars (e.g., FIREBIRD, JUSTY, 323, etc.) appeared on the board, with one of them not having a match. Contestants successfully matching the seven car names within 35 seconds won the last car named and retired the player undefeated; otherwise, an extra 5 seconds was added to the clock each for each subsequent trip to the bonus game (later in the show's run, uncovering a "FIVE BONUS SECONDS" card and winning the game added 5 more seconds to the clock). The rules affecting a champion's reign, aside from winning a car and leaving undefeated, changed throughout the run. At first, it was one loss and done (early on, contestants could also win more than one car), while later, players could lose twice before their defeat; still later, a best-of-three format was used, while the rules reverted back to the second format even later. An annual tournament of champions (with participants determined by cash winnings) offered a trip around the world as a grand prize during the first year; during the second through fourth years, a luxury car was the top prize.