Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego?
Host: Kevin Shinick
Announcer/The Chief: Lynne Thigpen
Lifespan: 1996-1998, PBS
Premise: The hugely successful Carmen Sandiego franchise turns to educating youngsters about
history. Sadly, this show didn't last as long as its precursor, nor was it as funny.
Play: To begin, each contestant of three is given 100 Power Points. A skit is performed a la
WitWiCS?, and a 10 point three choice question is asked, with no penalty. This is done four times.
After each question, a bonus round is played:
Data Boost: Five dual-choice questions are played. First to jump-in plays. Five points for a right
answer, deduct five if wrong.
Global Pursuit: Triple-choice questions about the area at the time in question. Five points at stake.
One more skit/question was done, then came the Ultimate Data Boost. Questions could have three
choices, and there were 10 worth 10 points each. At the conclusion of this round, the two high
scorers moved on. The scores were as high as 255, and as low as 95 (five less than the 100 they
start with).
In round two, the contestants are shown eight historical events, and must put them in chronological
order. If a mistake was made, the other contestant tried. Whoever was in the lead at the end of
round one got to play first or second in this round. The winner went on to chase Carmen S. along the
Trail of Time.
In the final round, the contestant made his or her way through six time gates: Carmen would read a two choice question, and a right answer allowed passage. A wrong answer ment that the player had to open the gate manually, using a crank, pulley or wheel. The contestant had 90 seconds to get through all six, and accomplishing this won the grand prize, a computer with a year of online service, and a software package. Players who got five or six right could usually win the round, and those who got four right usually could work the devices well enough to win.
The show opened with Carmen choosing which villain would accomplish the task (Baron Wasteland, Medeva, Dr. Belljar, Jaqueline Hyde, and Sir Vile)