The current version of Pyramid with Donny Osmond, premiered on Monday, September 16, 2002, and along with it, a few changes to the rules of the game. While some of the rule changes are for the better, some of them seem to be in question. And set changes, like monitors being used instead of trillians and laptop computers instead of screens at the contestants desk, were implimented as well. And here they all are for your viewing pleasure! More will be added and updated as the series continues to go on.

First off, the biggest change is in the main game. Instead of trying to get 7 words to your partner in 30 seconds, you have to get 6 words in only 20 seconds. While this rule could have been made to free more air time for advertising and the like, it makes the game a little more difficult to master. On previous versions, the players had about 4.28 seconds to focus on each word, but here, they will only have 3.33 seconds for per word.

While older versions of the show had special spaces like Big 7, 7-11 and Mystery 7, neither of them appear on the current version. (Obviously, since there are only 6 words now instead of seven. It would have been silly!) Instead, in both rounds, a special "Super Six" catergory is available. Prizes such as a $500 Borders gift card and many Sony entertainment products have been prizes, as well as a cruise to the Carribean. Some nice stuff IMO!

One question is with judging. Granted, in the Winner's Circle, sometimes the celebrities are going on the wrong track and start to get more detailed, but most of the time they stopped themselves. However, on the premiere episode with Kathy NiJimy and Ed Begley Jr, one of the words in the maingame was "DVD". Begley had given a clue stating that it was "the disc that replaced videotapes." Since "DVD" stands for "Digital Video DISC", wouldn't that be part of the answer? I know that in previous versions, Ed would have gotten cuckooed (or buzzed in this version, since the cuckoo has retired), but the game went on as usual. Ponder that one, won't you?

In the Winner's Circle segment, the bottom 3 boxes are valued at $200 each. The second row of two boxes are valued at $300 each. The top of the pyramid is worth $500. Also, along with the maingame board, all of the "trillions" have been replaced with flat, widescreen monitors. (More than likely, Sony brand of course). And while the first 5 subjects have seemed to be very easy, the last one at the top is usually abnormally difficult. Still though, after all these years, I still find myself sitting at the edge of my seat! So will you!