If you ever watched the 1980's TV show 'BlockBusters' you'll know what this is. If not, have a look anyway - it's a nice vocabulary quiz game.
You need two teams, red and blue. Choose a letter to start and ask a question. The first team to shout the correct answer (beginning with that letter) wins it for their colour. Then they choose the next letter. Again, the first team to shout the answer wins. Of course you could use buzzers if you don't like students shouting out!
In the picture here, the red team have won, because they have connected the red at the top with the red at the bottom.
Below are links to PowerPoint versions of this game (with and without flashing, in case you have students who are sensitive to strobe lights). Just click on the letter to toggle between the flashing letter, and the red and blue colours. To exit the game, press escape (or space) on your keyboard.
PowerPoint blockbusters board (pptx)
PowerPoint blockbusters board without flashing (pptx)
If your class is too big to work well with two teams, here is a paper version where the students or you can make your own quiz questions. They can play it in small groups (or act as teacher reading their questions to the other teams using the PowerPoint above).
Paper version of blockbusters (pdf)
Here are some suggested word lists (if you use these with the PowerPoint, make sure it has the right 20 letters):
Verbs
- Ask
- Breathe
- Catch
- Die
- End
- Find
- Grow
- Help
- Invite
- Kick
- Lose
- Marry
- Need
- Offer
- Pretend
- Remember
- Suggest
- Try
- Vote
- Wash
Adjectives
- Ambitious
- Broken
- Cloudy
- Dark
- Early
- Freezing
- Great
- Healthy
- Impatient
- Kind
- Lazy
- Modern
- Noisy
- Orange
- Polite
- Raw
- Shocked
- Tiny
- Violent
- Weak
Household objects
- Alarm clock
- Bookcase
- Candle
- Dishwasher
- Electric toothbrush
- Fan
- Glass
- Hairdryer
- Iron
- Knife
- Lamp
- Microwave
- Newspaper
- Oven
- Pan
- Radiator
- Shelf
- Towel
- Vacuum cleaner
- Washing machine
Food
- Avocado
- Beef
- Cooker
- Dessert
- Egg
- Fried
- Grill
- Honey
- Ingredients
- Knife
- Lettuce
- Mushroom
- Noodles
- Obese
- Prawn
- Recipe
- Steak
- Tasty
- Vinegar
- Wasabi
People
- Aunt
- Bride
- Colleague
- Daughter
- Employee
- Fiancé
- Grandparents
- Housemate
- In-law
- Kid
- Landlord
- Manager
- Neighbour
- Opponent
- Partner
- Relative
- Stranger
- Teenager
- Victim
- Widow
Animals
- Ant
- Bee
- Cage
- Duck
- Eagle
- Fur
- Gorilla
- Hippo
- Insect
- Kangaroo
- Lobster
- Miaow
- Nest
- Owl
- Paws
- Rat
- Sting
- Tail
- Vet
- Wings
Health (change the K to J)
- Ankle
- Blood
- Cough
- Disease
- Elbow
- Foot
- Gym
- Healthy
- Injury
- Joint
- Leg
- Mouth
- Nurse
- Operation
- Patient
- Rash
- Stomach ache
- Temperature
- Vitamin
- Waist
Jobs (change the K to J)
- Architect
- Baker
- Cashier
- Doctor
- Engineer
- Florist
- Gymnast
- Hairdresser
- Interpreter
- Journalist
- Lawyer
- Manager
- Nurse
- Optician
- Psychologist
- Reporter
- Surgeon
- Teacher
- Vet
- Writer
You wear ... (change I and O to J and U)
- Apron
- Belt
- Coat
- Dress
- Earrings
- Flip-flops
- Gloves
- Headphones
- Jewellery
- Kimono
- Lipstick
- Make-up
- Necklace
- Pyjamas
- Ring
- Suit
- Tie
- Uniform
- Vest
- Watch
Finally, the website teachers direct will let you make your own online quizzes which are great if you have an interactive whiteboard or a VLE for your students. However, since Adobe have ended support for Flash Player you may find it hard to access these games now. Here is an example I made: phrasal verbs blockbusters. Very important: make sure you save the web address of any quizzes you make, otherwise you might not be able to find them again!