What makes it different from others?

Brilliant and touching

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

I only recently discovered surfing the Web, and even more recently discovered "The Crystal Maze". And I have come to the conclusion that this is one of the world's great game shows. I have not known such an enthusiasm since around 2000, when I discovered the "Harry Potter" books. There are reasons for this enthusiasm. First, there is ingenuity. The various games that the contestants have to play are usually clever, well-thought out challenges. Some are based on classic puzzles that have teased brains for generations. Others are inspired by tropes found in movies and television. None are "gimmes", and some of them prove to be so difficult that nobody ever got them. Then, there is efficiency. There is none of the endless analysis found in some of today's game shows. There are no whiny postmortems If a contestant wins a challenge, it's cheers all around. If he or she loses, it's "never mind", and "what do you want to play and who do you want to play it?". All this is so because the most important element of the show is the game--not the prizes with endless plugs, not the soap-operatics of the various contestants, but the game! This extends even to the endgame in the Crystal Dome. The theme music catches the ear, and does not let go. I knew I was hooked when, a day after I'd seen my first episode, I found myself entering a shop, and couldn't get the theme song out of my head! Richard O'Brien adds immensely to the festivities. He seems to be enjoying himself immensely, and it shows. There is a certain elfin quality about his work that makes this show all the easier to take. He is not some bland pretty-boy with sparkling teeth and pomaded hair. As I have been watching the show chronologically, I have not yet gotten to the episodes hosted by Ed Tudor-Pole. He must have thought it a thankless job, having to follow O'Brien. I'll find out in due course if he's up to the job. All in all, it's a show that I am happy to tout to those of my friends who are into game shows. It's a winner, all the way around!

When I was younger I sometimes caught this game show, but it was when I got older when I managed to see it all again and appreciate it more for the great fun it is, or was. Presented by The Rocky Horror Picture Show creator and actor Richard O'Brien for four series, with his exuberant and eccentric personality, big coats and boots (often with leopard patterns somewhere), amusing put downs and breakaways from the game playing the harmonica (amusingly badly) and small stories of his Mumsie (played by Sandra Caron in a few episodes), and then presented by almost as eccentric but not as fun actor Edward 'Ed' Tudor-Pole. The game consisted of six contestants (three men, three women) following the presenter around four zones in The Crystal Maze all full of rooms with set puzzles to play, solve and win for a crystal, each crystal representing five seconds of time for the final game, the Crystal Dome. These zones were Aztec - a past jungle setting with sand and temples, Medieval - a past castle setting with table and cobwebs, Futuristic - a 22nd Century spaceship setting full of computers (including the talking one), metal and sliding doors, Industrial - a steel, iron or aluminium made construction like a factory full of pipes and metal, this zone was replaced after three series by Ocean - a 20th Century sunken ship setting with he main saloon staircase and boiler room. There are four categories of games that the players can choose to play, all involving what they say in the name, they are Skill (tests of dexterity and accuracy), Mental (tests of brainpower often involving maths or word association), Mystery (tests of logic and cunning) and Physical (tests of speed and strength). The games played by the contestants, chosen by the team captain (yes, also a player), took between two and three minutes to play, and if a contestant goes over they are locked in, and some games are "automatic lock-in" which means a contestant making more than a set number of mistakes will be locked in immediately. If a player did get locked in a game room the players had the option to buy them out using one of the crystals they may have won, taking away five seconds of their achieved time for the final game. So the final game, the Crystal Dome, a large see-through crystal shaped the time in the dome is determined by how many crystals they have won in the sixteen games, times five, e.g. five crystals = twenty five seconds, and the idea is to collect as many gold credits (gold bits of paper) as possible and put them through the letterbox, however any silver tokens collected are subtracted, over one hundred after deductions gets them the big prize, under they take away a commemorative crystal saying I cracked The Crystal Maze" (they also get this if they win). I would agree the show has become a cult classic since it ended, on TV its heyday was the O'Brien years, it lacked the same spark when he left, I am one of he hundreds of fans as it was and still is in repeats very popular, with O'Brien (and moments of Tudor-Pole) making you laugh, a fantastic theme tune, and the games all fun to watch, a highly enjoyable game show. It was nominated the BAFTAs for Best Children's Programme (Fiction/Entertainment) (twice) (for the children's specials) and Best Graphics. Very good!

I came across this game show while living in Bangkok, Thailand. It is a show which I have long wished would be shown on Australian television. But alas it never has been.I found that even as a viewer this show challenges your mind in a more 3 dimensional way. Something that most run of the mill game shows lack in their questions.It's a shame that is no longer in production....but there are always hopes of re-runs right?

I always loved the crystal maze as this was i think the best amazing adventure game ever. This first started in 1990 and finished in 1995. The contestents had to get each crystal in the challenges they choose. If they don't get out in time, then they are locked up. The contestents have a choice either to buy the player out with one of their crystals they got or to leave them.