Hangman (video game)

As in the traditional game of Hangman, the player must guess the letter of a hidden word, with each wrong guess resulting in a piece being added to a gallows, with the game ending either when the gallows is completed or when the word has been fully guessed. The player could select from a range of four difficult levels spanning from first grade to high school; however, the words had a maximum length of six characters.[1] Instead of the traditional man to be hanged being shown in the picture, a monkey was shown hanging from the gallows by its arm.[3] A timed mode where the player has to guess before a time limit expires was also available.[2]

The game may be played in single-player mode, or in a two-player mode where the players play together.[1] In one-player mode the player has 11 attempts at guessing before the gallows is constructed; however, in two-player mode guessing may go on until one player wins.[3]

Contemporary reviewers were unimpressed with the game. The UK computer games magazine, TV Gamer, described it as "poor value for money" as it differed little from the pen-and-paper version of the game.[4]

Later reviewers have been marginally more positive. In Classic Home Video Games, 1972-1984: A Complete Reference Guide, Brett Weiss described it as "a passable rendition of a classic game.[1] Giving it 5/10, Videogamecritic.com described it as "not as bad as you'd think".[5]