First Letter First (1993)

Questions were answered on a keyboard (A-Z) rather than the standard buzzer format. The first contestant to press first letter of the correct answer won the points/letter for that particular question. There were three contestants per show over three rounds, each round eliminating one player. Round one was a standard definition of a word, and you pressed the first letter of it on your keyboard. If you get the letter and answer correct, you won that letter. Once four letters (or more0 were won by a single player or more, they then had to create a word from them. The score was counted in words and letters, so someone with 1 word and 4 letters would beat someone with 0 words and 6 letters. The lowest scorer at the end of five minutes was eliminated. Second round was like a hidden crossword grid, with the name of a person hidden in it. As you guessed first letters of words (like Round 1), a few more squares were revealed, and a clue to the famous person was given. The person also eventually appeared in the grid somewhere which gave you two chances of discovering them. This was played as a best-of-three. The winner went on to play a final round which was a pyramid of words (e.g. all letters that ended with -END) with increasing numbers of letters in them, and you had to find them all in the quickest time possible. You got up to two clues for each word, and the first letter of each answer formed a seven-letter word at the bottom of the screen; knowing this could help you fill in gaps in the words you've missed. This end game also had a 'sticky keyboard' so if you made a mistake you'd be locked out for a few seconds before making another guess. The fastest 12 people in this round over the series came back for the finals week.