bpatrick-8 How could a show like "Masquerade Party," which most people probably don't even remember, make TV Guide's list of the 50 greatest game shows and this one get overlooked? As everyone knows, "PYL" asks players four questions; a correct buzz-in answer gets the player 3 spins on the big board, while a correct multiple-choice answer gets the player 1 spin. After four questions in each round, they take those spins to the board, hoping to avoid the whammy, an animated gremlin that takes away all their winnings and forces them to start over, if they have any spins left. Four whammies puts a player out of the game, and a player can pass his or her whammies at any point.It's in the second round, when the stakes go as high as $5000+1 spin, that every game becomes a nail-biter; say, for example, that two players have over $10,000. Does the player taking his or her turn gamble on hitting a whammy and losing everything, or pass the remaining spins to the player in second place and hope he or she whammies? And in the event of a pass, the other player has to take the spin(s). Will that player hit a whammy? The suspense literally goes up to the last spin of the game; the outcome is always in doubt until all the spins are used up (unless your name is Michael Larson and you've run up over $110,000 by memorizing the light patterns on the board).I vastly prefer the original over the newer "Whammy!". Todd Newton seems to be a nice-enough guy but he lacks the late, great Peter Tomarken's enthusiasm (he really gets into the game, especially when it's close), and Gary Kroger is no Rod Roddy when it comes to announcing. In fact, given this show's cult status, I can't understand how it managed to last only three years on CBS.But I'm a fanatic about this show; I just wish GSN would air the episodes from 1985 and '86.

BlackJack_B Earlier today I saw one of the most exciting episodes of a game show ever on The Game Show Network. "Press Your Luck" originally ran from 1983-86 with Peter Tomarken as host. Three contestants answer trivia questions to earn spins on the big board to win big money and prizes. You could win quite a bit of money for the time, too. The reason "Luck" was in the title was because also on the boards are "Whammies" that act like the bankrupts of Wheel Of Fortune. If you landed on a Whammy, you lost all your money. There was also a cute animation of the Whammy berating the contestant. There was no skill involved, unless your name was Michael Larsen...Also, if you no longer wanted to press your luck, you could pass the spins to someone else and they had to take them and risk hitting the Whammy. It gets real exciting when contestants pass spins (you could also win free spins) back and forth like tennis balls to see who'll get hit with a possible Whammy. The contestants were always enthusiastic, Tomarken was an awesome host, Rod Roddy of The Price Is Right got his start here; what's not to like. Classic game show! Also, the new version on The Game Show network is great, too.

jbond1 I just got the game show network 6 days ago. I was flipping around the television at about 9:30 pm(3:30 pm EST) and I saw an episode of "WHAMMY! THE ALL NEW 'PRESS YOUR LUCK'". I enjoyed the little whammy running about and taking people's money. The next day I saw an episode of the original "PRESS YOUR LUCK". I liked it even better than "WHAMMY!". I now find myself taping it and watching it when I get home. It's addictive.

rescue-1 Press your luck is so great to watch I love it when the contestants spin the big board it keeps me on the edge of my seat, and the whammies are very funny. I read gameshow network is planning to make a new press your luck I can't wait to see it!