The humble game show is a mainstay in just about every television schedule across the globe. Everyday we invite hosts and contestants into our homes, watching as the drama unfolds and feel smug at their demise as they incorrectly answer a question. We sit back in our comfy chairs and know we could do better.

We’ve long been able to play our favourite shows at home, whether it be a board or video game, most will provide a chance to play in the comfort of your own home. But despite sharing the same name, same structure and in some cases the same host they have often been a stale affair, offering little of the glitz and glamour of the actual show. Thankfully, back in 2005 all that changed, with Buzz! The Music Quiz. Whilst Buzz!’s gameplay was hardly revolutionary the inclusion of game show style buzzers made the whole experience much more involving. Buzz! appealed to all people. It’s controller was easy to use as gamers and non gamers alike were spending their evening’s being tested by the utterly stereotypical host Buzz and his glamorous assistant Rose.

Flash forward a few years and Buzz is back and this time he’s on the PlayStation 3. Buzz! Quiz TV is the first title on the console and fans of the series will be pleased to hear that it’s still business as usual. Familiar rounds from previous games return complete with over 5000 questions covering a range of topics such as sport, music, TV and lifestyle. Add in a little PS3 magic and we’re in for quite possibly the best game in the series.

Unfortunately, anybody hoping for a revolution in the single player department will initially be disappointed. Consisting of Stop the Clock played over three rounds players have to answer a set number of questions as quickly as possible to score high. It’s short and feels very underwhelming.

To make up for it’s single player shortfalls we’re now able to play people from outside our home with the inclusion of online quizzes. Officially touted as Sofa vs. Sofa with the intention of friends and families competing against each other, the reality is most likely single players looking for a new challenge. Nevertheless it’s a welcome feature, which sees up to 4 ‘sofas’ playing against each other through 3 different rounds. Quizzes are often full, but suffers with the age old problem of people quitting when they’re performing badly.

Aside from online play, MyBuzz! is the biggest addition. For those with an Internet connection the feature increases the number of questions on offer by tens of thousands. By logging onto the Buzz! website and creating an 8 question quiz on what ever subject you like, people are able to take part in your quiz from around the world. There’s no shortage of topics from Lord of the Rings to The Beatles, every taste is catered for. If you’re still after more questions then fear not. Quiz TV is the first game to make use of the PlayStation Store and offers a selection of question packs of 500 questions each in subjects like Video Games, Horror Movies and National Geographic Safari.

Of course Buzz!’s main drawing point is and always will be local multiplayer. Challenging you with being smarter than up to 7 of your nearest and dearest it’s bound to bring out your competitive side. Offering the longest gameplay experience with 7 rounds including Pass the Bomb and Pie Fight quizzes are often tense but thoroughly enjoyable.

It doesn’t take long to get to know Buzz’s annoying traits though. Despite the 5000 questions there will be repetition after a few. In one quiz two of the questions in a movie round were about Forest Gump, with another question asked about the movie in the following quiz. The host of the game Buzz also suffers from repetition, frequently reusing the same lines and catchphrases time after time. If it wasn’t for the questions being read out I’d of muted him long ago. A final criticism is that progression isn’t clear. As mentioned earlier the single player experience was over all to fast, but was worsened by the speed of transition from quiz to credits, without it made clear of how many points were scored. Perhaps by adding a leaderboard would of made it clearer and given something for players to aim for.

Despite Buzz! Quiz TV’s shortcomings it is a very competent game. It’s not often that a title can appeal to everybody and for it to be easily played by everybody. The Buzz controller is as simple to use as can be and it’s always clear of the task at hand. The new additions of downloadable question packs and MyBuzz! reduces the likelihood of repeating questions and the online play gives the single player that much needed extra boost. The rest of Buzz’s appeal is the people you play against, it’s our natural competitiveness that makes it instantly addictive and it’s bound to be a firm favourite at any social gathering.