Pathfinder (pricing game)
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Pathfinder is a pricing game on the American television game show The Price Is Right. Debuting in 1987, it is played for a car, and uses small prizes.
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[edit] Gameplay
The contestant is asked to step to the centermost space of a 5-by-5 grid of 25 numbers; that square represents the first digit in the price of a car. The second number in the price is on one of the four adjacent squares (not diagonal) to it. The contestant is asked to step to the square he believes is that second digit.
If the player is right, play proceeds to the third digit (and so on); each remaining digit is adjacent to the one in play, although any previous digit is taken out of play. With the third, fourth and fifth digits, there are fewer choices (i.e., two or three possibilities), theoretically improving the odds at winning the car.
Should the contestant be incorrect at any point, the contestant moves back to the last correctly guessed digit and is directed to pick from one of the three small prizes. Each small item bears two prices, only one of which is correct. A correct answer wins the prize and earns the contestant another chance at guessing the currently unrevealed digit with one of the remaining choices; a wrong answer means that he or she must pick from one of the remaining small items.
The game ends in one of three ways:
- Correctly lighting up "the path;" ergo, all five digits in the car's price, which wins the car.
- Following an incorrect guess at one of the car's digits, guessing incorrectly on the last remaining small prize (and thus, meaning a loss).
- After exhausting the supply of small prizes, guessing a digit incorrectly (also resulting in a loss).
[edit] Rule changes
When this game debuted in 1987, The Price Is Right still awarded cars worth less than $10,000. In that case, the centermost space was an asterisk, and the contestant needed to light up all four digits.
[edit] Trivia
- The game's "erroooooo" sound effect used when a player steps on an incorrect number was taken from the 'trap' sound on the 1980's Mark Goodson Productions game show Trivia Trap.
- Pathfinder has often been characterized as being a frequent victim of technical glitches. In actuality, while this may be true behind the scenes, the game usually works perfectly while the cameras are rolling; it has not had any known malfunctions in about 6 years.
- Pathfinder's number readout is the same one used in the now-retired game Add 'em Up; for about a year in 1987 and 1988, it was used in both games.
- On December 1, 1992, a contestant gained an advantage by briefly touching his foot to an adjacent number. The number lit up, as it was thought the contestant was going to move there. After a bit of chiding from Bob, the game proceeded as normal.
- Depending on the correct "path" of the car's price, the odds of a contestant getting all of the numbers correct without a single mistake are 48:1, if the hundreds digit is on the outside ring of the grid, thus giving the contestant a choice of 2 numbers for the tens digit rather than 3, or 72:1 otherwise. Surprisingly, while not a regular occurrence by any means, perfect wins in Pathfinder are also not exceedingly rare.
