Classic Hits Music Trivia Challenge (2006)

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General		Extras
Category	Music	Main Menu Audio & Animation Interviews-Character-Molly Meldrum Credits Booklet
Rating
Year Of Production	2006
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	Ian "Molly" Meldrum
Case	Amaray-Transparent
RPI	$29.95	Music	None Given

    Classic Hits Music Trivia Challenge DVD game follows along from the other titles of a similar ilk that we have previously reviewed - Merv Hughes Cricket Challenge and Les Murray's World Football Challenge. This time around the topic is not sport but music and who better than to host this game than former Countdown host and Australian music guru Ian "Molly" Meldrum.

    This is quite a fun DVD game with a simple premise. Answer as many music trivia questions in a row as you can to beat your opponent. The packaging states there are more than 1200 questions available and these range from the quite simple to the incredibly difficult. Sadly there are no grabs of any classic songs played or any photos of aging rock stars. Everything is centred around a series of text based questions with four possible answers to choose from. A little boring, but obviously much cheaper in these days of paying royalties for every piece of music.

    Players must correctly answer 18 questions to complete the game. You move through the chart positions before making it to the final round which is known as Molly's Mega Hit Super Challenge. Answer this question correctly and you will get a password to allow you to enter your details on the special Hall Of Fame website.

    The game can cater for up to four individuals or teams and each takes a turn to answer a multiple choice question with four possible answers. Just like the previous titles in the series the questions progressively get more difficult, so if you think it's a cake walk after the opening couple of rounds, wait a few rounds because the pressure does mount and you will really need to be a true music trivia buff in order to answer correctly.

       With any DVD-based game, something I have mentioned on several occasions in the past is that the playability is probably the most important aspect that quite often needs more work. This disc is average in terms of user interaction and comes with only very brief video interruptions from Molly between questions (these sound bites from the guru do get a little repetitive like any DVD game disc). Unfortunately the game does pause as the DVD player reads the disc, and though this will probably vary between machines, I found the lengthy wait between questions quite frustrating after a couple of minutes.

    This is a well-conceived, albeit basic game, with enough questions of a wide variety to satisfy any music buff, though I'd have to say it is really aimed at those over about the age of 16 with very few questions suitable for children.

Video

    The video transfer here is basic, but 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. The only issue I did encounter was a brief drop in audio level on some of the sound grabs featuring Molly Meldrum. The first half a second or so seems to be recorded at a much lower level than the rest which then suddenly bursts into life as Molly speaks. So be careful and avoid cranking up the volume or you'll run the risk of hearing Molly ramble at an excruciating level.

    There is no surround or subwoofer activity.

Audio Ratings Summary

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Main Menu Audio & Animation

Interviews-Character

    Running for 22:12 this is an interview with music guru Ian "Molly" Meldrum. Now anyone familiar with Molly's on-screen persona will instantly know what I mean when I say this can be a little difficult to follow. Molly has always had a tendency to ramble, mumble and ramble some more and coupled with several dozen uses of the words "um" and "ah" he can always be a challenge to understand. This interview sees a series of topics posed (such as his years hosting Countdown or his thoughts on The Beatles), followed by Molly's rambling answer. Be prepared to listen hard, but ultimately this is reasonably interesting from a guy who obviously loves his music and the business. You'll even discover how he gained the "Molly" nickname all those years ago.

Credits

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

Booklet

    A gem of an extra, this is a 90 page trivia booklet filled with all manner of lists and facts about music and musicians. A great help for those music trivia nights plus there are more than a few of the answers here for some of the trickier questions posed during the game.

    This title has not been released in Region 1.

    Classic Hits Music Trivia Challenge DVD game is a well conceived, albeit text based trivia game containing a good mix of easy and quite challenging questions about music. It is a reasonably enjoyable game let down only by some clunky game play and a few too many repetitive quotes from the host, Ian "Molly" Meldrum.

    The video and audio are functional, while the bonus extras featuring a lengthy interview with Molly and a bumper music trivia book are excellent.

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Audio
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