''Lexi-Cross'' is a video game written by Peter Oliphant for

MS-DOS MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few oper ...

and published by

Interplay Productions Interplay Entertainment Corp. is an American video game developer and Video game publisher, publisher based in Los Angeles. The company was founded in 1983 as Interplay Productions by developers Brian Fargo, Jay Patel, Troy Worrell, and Rebecca ...

in 1991. A

Macintosh The Mac (known as Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc. Macs are known for their ease of use and minimalist designs, and are popular among students, creative professionals, and software en ...

version was released in 1992. ''Lexi-Cross'' presents a futuristic TV game show, with elements similar to ''

Wheel of Fortune The Wheel of Fortune or ''Rota Fortunae'' has been a concept and metaphor since ancient times referring to the capricious nature of Fate. Wheel of Fortune may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Art * ''The Wheel of Fortune'' (Burne-Jo ...

'', ''

Scrabble ''Scrabble'' is a word game in which two to four players score points by placing tiles, each bearing a single letter, onto a game board divided into a 15×15 grid of squares. The tiles must form words that, in crossword fashion, read left ...

'', and Battleship. Players can choose to play as human or

alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrate ...

, and computer opponents are

robot A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. Robots may be ...

s. The game came with a small booklet parodying the format and style of ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program TV listings, listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine, TV Guide Mag ...

'' that served as a game manual and copy protection device.

Gameplay

Each player has a grid of hidden tiles concealing various hidden words. Players take turns revealing tiles in an attempt to find either letter tiles or bonuses, similarly to Battleship. Players may alternatively spin a wheel to guess a letter as in Wheel of Fortune. The words eventually comprise a theme or quotation, which the player must guess to win the game.

Reception

Computer Gaming World ''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American computer game magazine published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 1993. It expanded greatly through t ...

'' stated that "''Lexi-Cross'' is a refreshing variation on the ever popular game show theme ... habit-forming as a couch potato's viewing preferences and challenging as a classic strategy game". In 1996, ''Computer Gaming World'' declared ''Lexi-Cross'' the 132nd-best computer game ever released.

References

External links

* DOS games 1991 video games Classic Mac OS games Puzzle video games Video games scored by George Sanger Video games developed in the United States {{puzzle-videogame-stub