One could actually take this as a sequel to my recent article Game Show Man's 11. Like that article, this one is inspired by an upcoming release, in this case, the release of New York-based board game maker Endless Games' adaptation of the classic 70's and 80's game Card Sharks. The beloved high/low card game has never had an American board game version made for it (although its British counterpart Play Your Cards Right has had not one but two different games).

Here are five games, old and new, that Endless Games should consider:

(Hint city: Press Your Luck is NOT one of them, as much fun as the show is.)

This one should be a no-brainer for a company that started its game show adaptations with an update of the classic Password box game, itself in its third Endless Games edition.

What it should contain: Password Puzzle board (with room for FOUR puzzles, the Milton Bradley Password Plus games only had room for three), the classic leatherette sleeve, the Password cards (for both the board and the sleeve), stacks of play money and a digital timer for Alphabetics. The rules should include the variant rules-for-clues featured in the television games (the newer editions of the original Password could also include these rules, like the pass-or-play option (original Password could also feature the double option) and the no-opposites rule).

My all time favorite game show is not only in need of revival, it's also in need of a new box game…at least I think it is. Some folks don't think it works in board game form, but I have found otherwise; I used to sneak my copy of Joker, Joker, Joker into my junior high school and play with the other students during class.

What it should contain: a PLASTIC Joker Machine game board, category cards (for the main game), money and devil cards (for the classic Face the Devil game), a question booklet, a category booklet, and stacks of play money.

Speaking of Barry and Enright…

Television's original X vs. O quiz show is also a prime subject for a new home game; most game show fans and board game collectors fondly remember the 1978 Ideal game.

What it should contain: a PLASTIC game board capable of shuffling categories (the Ideal game had a category wheel, but it was not intended to be spun during play to shuffle the categories), question cards (or books) with enough questions and categories to sustain shuffling, X's and O's, bonus game cards (using a modified version of the infamous 1990 X and O bonus game; no dragonslayer (a golden X/O symbol in its place) and the 80's dragon), and stacks of play money.

Here's an esoteric choice: Bob Stewart's classic letter game ("where one word leads to another"), originally a 1980 short-lived show on NBC, found new life when USA Network reran the show to big ratings and decided to revive it themselves.

What it should contain: A big dry-erase game board (the dry erase format works well, but it would be better suited with the use of a dry-erase marker instead of the cheap crayon they keep using), and chain cards.

And finally (let's see Endless get away with this one):

Hey, Game Show Network is reviving this short-lived classic, combining Mastermind, the old parlor game of 'ghost,' and of course, bingo; why not capitalize on it with a home game?

What it should contain: A dry-erase word guessing board (with a marker, please), deck of word cards, a set of Lingo game cards, two decks of number cards (to replace the balls), a timer, and stacks of play money.

The Endless Game people have their website at http://www.endlessgames.com

And I take what ya give me (including additions to this list) at gameshowman@winning.com.

Back to the Headquarters.