Wheel of Fortune: A Classic Game Show for All

I have been a fan of Wheel of Fortune since my infancy. My parents lived with my grandparents for a couple of years after I was born. My grandfather was very ill, and apparently Wheel of Fortune was his favorite show. He watched it daily, while I played in my playpen in front of the television.

Family legend says that one night when I was about eighteen months old, we were all gathered in the living room. I was playing with my blocks. I crawled over to my mother, held up the "b" and called out, "B!" My parents and grandparents blew it off as a fluke, until I kept bringing over more and more, accurately exclaiming each letter of the alphabet. My astute knowledge was attributed to all of the hours of Wheel of Fortune I was logged with my grandpa.

To this very day, Wheel of Fortune continues to be on the family television sets every night at 7 p.m. In fact, no one dares call my grandmother when it is on.

So what is it that makes this show so popular?

It never hurts to have an attractive host and hostess who never seem to age. Vanna has been a fashion icon for as long as I can remember.

It also helps to have a game that anyone can play. You can feel smart and successful, whereas the quiz shows like Jeopardy can make you feel less intelligent.

There is all kinds of drama every time someone spins the wheel. You ride an emotional roller coaster. You're disappointed, if not devastated when someone gets a "Bankrupt". You're excited when a free spin is won or the high dollar amount is earned. You get annoyed at the people who should just give the answer instead of being greedy and spinning the wheel over and over again, only to lose it all right at the end. It's kind of like that gambler's high that people get at the casino.

Wheel of Fortune has also evolved with the times, while keeping the fundamental game the same. Minor changes to the rules, spaces on the wheel, types of puzzles, etc., have been made on almost a yearly basis. Many at-home versions have also been created. As a child, I remember playing the board game version, as well as a floppy disk version on our old PC and a video game on the original Nintendo. Now, you can play online at sites like Yahoo!. You can download it to play on your mobile phone. Play it on other video gaming platforms. Join the Wheel Watchers Club to earn prizes at home, just for watching your favorite show.

Numerous methods of enjoying this game are available, much unlike most of the other games out there. This game has stood the test of time and will probably be around for my kids and grandkids to enjoy.