Password Plus

First off, I must say that this is a fun game show. Also, since I'm 24, I haven't seen every episode. However, I do know the show very well. Every time I've watched it, I've had a lot of fun playing along and watching. Despite the fact that it's finished its run, this makes me long to be a contestant. The thing I like most about it are the questions. Despite the fact that I don't know that many answers, I still have fun playing along. I hope the Game Show Network keeps it on so I can play along and watch again. If that happens, I will be really happy. Before I wrap this up, I'd like to say that I'll always remember this show in my memory forever. Now, in conclusion, I hope that you catch it one day before it goes off the air for good.

This version of Password first of all did away with the worst single aspect of the original game. In the original, the more you guess the fewer points you get when you are finally right you get maybe one or two points. It was strangely counter-intuitive. The one who guesses the word last gets a chance at the board.

The one minute lightning round gets faded out and replaced by the alphabetics which has the suspense of the lightning round with the 'ticking clock' but the large backdrop alphabet set and the two facing chairs is wonderful - the team leaves the panel set and faces each other.

$10,000 Pyramid also perfected this set up to the highest level of suspense and it was Betty White's favorite game (after Password). I never liked Super Password as much.

I really like to watch this show on the weekends, right after I watch the original Password. I love to solve the password puzzles, watch to see if the contestants win in the Alphabetics Round, and try to think of clues for every single password. I heard this show was never a big hit when it returned on television, but it was very good revival. (Allen Ludden will be sorely missed)

I only give Password Plus a nine because the original was more pure and deserves the ten.

If you don't know how the game is played, watch it, and it's available on Amazon's programming apps.

Watching this version in retrospect is a little sad, because it was during this show that Alan Ludden developed stomach cancer, had to leave for chemotherapy, and never made it back on air. His personality and wit were highly interesting and entertaining, and he seemed to be good friends with every celebrity guest contestant ... he certainly had an easy-going manner with them ... and I'm sure he and Betty White actually WERE good friends of many of them.

In this version, they didn't play a point count down to one, but played for clues comprising a puzzle leading to one answer, and the first contestant to win a clue password and then guess the puzzle answer won each round of the game.

In 2019, you can "binge" this show on Amazon Prime - at least a decent sampling of the Ludden episodes. It's really fun, when the celebrities are good at the game. But when they are AWFUL, it can be a bummer. I just watched Dick Martin derail about four great players. It is infuriating. Yet, they apparently asked him back a few times, as he was a regular on the previous versions of the show.

Linda Henning is an excellent player. So are Elizabeth Montgomery, and Robert Foxworth (married). Vickie Lawrence is terrible. It's similar to watching lousy panels on "Match Game" (especially the new version). But the latter is a silly show, whereas "Password" is intended to be a bit more cerebral.

Again - that first visit by Dick Martin in 1979? You will get really irritated.