Merv Hughes' Cricket Challenge (2005)

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General		Extras
Category	Game	Main Menu Introduction Main Menu Audio & Animation Menu Audio Booklet-Game Instructions Interviews-Cast-Retrospective Interview With Merv Hughes Gallery-Behind the Scenes DVD Credits
Rating
Year Of Production	2005
Running Time	?
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	None Given
Studio Distributor	Beyond Home Entertainment	Starring	Merv Hughes
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip
RPI	$29.95	Music	None Given

    Think you know your cricket? Well here's a chance to prove it with Merv Hughes Cricket Challenge - a DVD trivia game dedicated to our favourite summer sport.

    If ever there was a sport that a trivia game could be based on it is cricket. Cricket is a statistics buff's wet dream with facts and figures based around even the most obscure of categories (like - who is the only Australian opening batsman with  a dog named Jack to have scored a century on debut at the MCG before his 21st birthday while his mum and dad watched from bay 13? - and that sort of thing). Just watch an hour of cricket on Channel 9 or listen to the ABC ball-by-ball coverage for a few minutes and some fact or figure will be supplied that you never even knew existed. And it seems they have all been included on this cricket trivia DVD (like just how old was Don Bradman when he scored his maiden test century?).

    Hosted by former menacing Australian fast bowler Merv 'The Swerve' Hughes this is quite a fun game with a simple premise. Answer as many question in a row as you can in order to claim a place in a special online hall of fame.

    Players must correctly answer 13 questions to complete the game. You move through the 11 ladder positions before making it to the world cup final and then on to Merv's Super Challenge. Players who get this last (and most difficult) question correct will be given a special code which they can then enter into Merv's Cricket Challenge website and register in the Hall Of Fame.

    The game can cater for up to four individuals or teams and each takes turn to answer a multiple choice question with four possible answers. Like Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? the questions progressively get more difficult, so if you think it's a cake walk after the opening couple of rounds, just wait because the pressure does mount and you will really need to be a cricket nut to know the answer to some of these.

       Like any DVD based game, the playability is the important aspect that quite often needs more work. This disc is not too bad in terms of user interaction and comes with only very brief video interruptions from Merv between questions (these do get a little repetitive like any DVD game disc). The game does pause slightly as the player reads the disc, though this will probably vary from player to player.

    A well-conceived game, but probably really only suitable for that really big cricket fan in the family.

Video

    The video transfer here is functional and suits the game well.

    It is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 and is not 16x9 enhanced.

    The usual problems associated with video transfers are not really that important here. Everything is clear and clean.

    Probably the most important thing to consider is that the various graphics, icons and questions are presented in a style and font that is easily read, even on a very small television.

    There are no subtitles.

Video Ratings Summary

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Audio

    There's only one soundtrack option when using the game, this being Dolby Digital 2.0.

    There is not a great deal more to say about the soundtrack. It works well. You can hear everything and there are no audio sync problems.

    There is no surround or subwoofer activity.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
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Main Menu Introduction

Main Menu Audio & Animation

Menu Audio

Booklet

    A two-page booklet that gives detailed instructions for the game.

Interviews-Cast

    Running for 7:01 this is simply an interview with Merv Hughes who discusses his time in cricket, his take on becoming a national selector and why cricket is such a statistical game.

Gallery

    Several photos of Merv Hughes filming the video segments for the game.

DVD Credits

    A simple list of the people who worked on the DVD.

    Since this game is based on cricket, it's fair to say it is not available in Region 1 and even if it was it would most likely be an exact replica of this Region 4 disc.

    Merv Hughes Cricket Challenge DVD game is a pretty detailed and enjoyable cricket trivia game. While not as all-round entertaining as the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? series of games, this one features much better game play and a far more challenging series of questions. It is probably really only suitable for a cricket fan though, with some of the questions being very difficult.

    Like most DVD games the pauses as the player reads the disc can also be a little distracting.

    The video and audio are functional.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall