The Buzz! Series, like SingStar, is one of those European successes that has been slow to come across the Atlantic. SingStar finally made its way Stateside and has four titles under its belt. With the U.S. debut of Buzz! The Mega Quiz, Sony has made it abundantly clear that it intends to see the PS2 evolve into a new machine in America, this time as the system for party games. It's a good start, for sure.

Buzz! The Mega Quiz features a four-buzzer set that plugs into the USB port of your PS2. You can play solo, but most of the appeal of the game is in multiplayer. It's essentially an interactive game show, hosted by Buzz, who looks like Terrance from South Park and sounds like some British guy... just kidding, although most Americans aren't familiar with Aussie actor/pop star Jason Donovan and his co-host Rose. Buzz is smarmy and continuously mocks the players' progress, while Rose explains the rules of each game.


You can play with up to eight people, if you've got two sets of USB buzzers, but most people will hop into four-player action. You'll have a variety of wacky avatars to choose from, ranging from masked Mexican wrestlers to female DJs to Elvis impersonators. You'll then choose your own crazy horn noise to chime in on trivia questions. After you've spelled your name out, you hop right into the action.

Each quiz category puts a variation on clicking one of the four colored buttons on the buzzer controller. In Fastest Finger, you'll have to be quickest on the draw, and points count based on how quickly you can get the right answer. For Point Picker, you'll simply have to get your answers right, no matter how quickly you answer. In Globetrotter, you'll have to test not only your geographic knowledge, but also your knowledge of different nations' cultures.

Depending on the number of players you've got, the outcome of the game can vary. In Pie Fight, which was the finale for nearly all of our rounds played before the game's release, your scores determine how many "lives" you have. The first person to buzz in with a correct answer decides who to "pie" with the red buzzer button. It's a fairly cruel process of elimination, but it adds a huge twist to gameplay. Perform too well in the main game and others will gang up against you. Perform too poorly and you won't withstand many pie attacks. It's a bit of a rough mechanic that undermines the rest of the game, although it's better for players with varying levels of trivia skill. It definitely levels the playing field for the lower scorers.