The Crystal Maze

I grew up watching this show in the 90s. I don't quite remember the time it used to be aired on TV but I am sure it was some time in the evening after school. Richard O'Brien, being a true entertainer would keep me engaged for the entire hour. What's more. My mom used to love the show too and watch it with me whenever possible.

What an idea for a game show! Different games with versatile genres like Mystery, Physical, Mental, etc., spanned 2-3 mins across different Zones : Aztec, Medieval, Industrial, and Futuristic (chronologically arranged, now i get it) , collecting crystals for obtaining 5 seconds in the beautiful Crystal Dome. I used to admire the entire set of The Crystal maze. What a well-crafted effort the whole crew of the show had put up there. A true team-effort. Kudos to the designers, the cast and crew and the entire production unit for making my childhood exciting! How much I have wanted to praise you guys. I guess IMDb has to be the right platform!!

Why I liked the show is also for the basic scientific approach it took. Perfectly balanced levels of difficulty, Perfect level of details in each zone, for example - the sun-dials in the Medieval zone as opposed to digital watches in the Futuristic Zone, Bubbling acids in the Industrial Zone, etc. There was no room for error! Finally when you enter the maze, "Will ya start the fans please".. and soon we see contestants convert their hard-earned time into glory.

Throughout the entire show, what keeps the adrenalin pumping is the Theme tune of The Crystal maze entitled Force Field composed by Zack Lawrence. I can never forget that track in my lifetime. I always thought it brought a Star Wars kind of feeling with it. At that time, this track was at another level.

All in all, when I look back at the show from the Futuristic Zone of 2012, I am driven into nostalgia and I must say that I was and will continue to be a true fan of this wonderful show.

It was truly the birth of quality entertainment!

I came across this game show while living in Bangkok, Thailand. It is a show which I have long wished would be shown on Australian television. But alas it never has been.

I found that even as a viewer this show challenges your mind in a more 3 dimensional way. Something that most run of the mill game shows lack in their questions.

It's a shame that is no longer in production....but there are always hopes of re-runs right?

I used to love this show. It was one where you could easily be a contestant if you wanted to be. You didn't have to be really physical or really smart. You had a go and you had the rest of the team there to help you. Some of the contestants were really useless but most were really good. I've been watching Re-runs of the earlier series i.e. the ones with the industrial zone. And they bring back fond memories. Richard O'Brian was better at the presenting as he would help the contestants if they got really stuck and would occasionally play his harmonica or go off and do something else while they played a rather uninteresting game. Definitely my favorite Game show. Bring it back please.

I only recently discovered surfing the Web, and even more recently discovered "The Crystal Maze". And I have come to the conclusion that this is one of the world's great game shows. I have not known such an enthusiasm since around 2000, when I discovered the "Harry Potter" books.

There are reasons for this enthusiasm. First, there is ingenuity. The various games that the contestants have to play are usually clever, well-thought out challenges. Some are based on classic puzzles that have teased brains for generations. Others are inspired by tropes found in movies and television. None are "gimmes", and some of them prove to be so difficult that nobody ever got them.

Then, there is efficiency. There is none of the endless analysis found in some of today's game shows. There are no whiny postmortems If a contestant wins a challenge, it's cheers all around. If he or she loses, it's "never mind", and "what do you want to play and who do you want to play it?".

All this is so because the most important element of the show is the game--not the prizes with endless plugs, not the soap-operatics of the various contestants, but the game! This extends even to the endgame in the Crystal Dome.

The theme music catches the ear, and does not let go. I knew I was hooked when, a day after I'd seen my first episode, I found myself entering a shop, and couldn't get the theme song out of my head!

Richard O'Brien adds immensely to the festivities. He seems to be enjoying himself immensely, and it shows. There is a certain elfin quality about his work that makes this show all the easier to take. He is not some bland pretty-boy with sparkling teeth and pomaded hair.

As I have been watching the show chronologically, I have not yet gotten to the episodes hosted by Ed Tudor-Pole. He must have thought it a thankless job, having to follow O'Brien. I'll find out in due course if he's up to the job.

All in all, it's a show that I am happy to tout to those of my friends who are into game shows. It's a winner, all the way around!

Not so much a maze as The Crystal circuit of four inter-connecting play areas, or "time zones", called Aztec, Industrial (later Ocean), Medieval and Futuristic. A team of 6 contestants would make their way through a huge variety of challenges across 4 "zones", winning crystals which give them time in the final challenge, the crystal dome. Collecting 100 gold tokens would win them the star prize. It was consistently entertaining to watch the challenges, and even more so when they failed! It was one of those shows which would always get you talking to the TV, it had me shouting regular phrases such as "Come on, that's it", "You've got it", "Come on, that's easy!" "It's RIGHT THERE! Use your brain!" etc.

The two presenters of The Crystal Maze, Richard O'Brien and Ed Tudor-Pole, both played eccentric roles in their own unique way, even providing some strange anecdotes in the middle of the games. It was ultimately the hosts that helped make the programme what it is. The programme ended when still at the height of its popularity, and I'm glad it did as it couldn't have been done any differently to how it was. A winning formula all the way.