Nightmare was a horror-themed board game which was popular in the early
90's. The object of the game is to move around the board, collect six
keys, and then make it to a specified place on the board to win. This is
standard fare for board games, really, but what made Nightmare unique is
that the game was accompanied by a video host.
When the game started, the players would pop in a VHS tape. It is
recommended that the players dim the lights and turn up the volume of the
TV to create the proper atmosphere. When the video starts, we are
introduced to The Gatekeeper, a scary and mean
character who wears an ominous-looking tattered hood. He tells us that we
must achieve our goal of collecting the keys within one hour. A clock appears
on the screen, which ticks away each second, approaching 60:00. From time to
time, the Gatekeeper appears in a flash of lightning and loud noise, and
gives instructions to the players pertaining to the game, while at the same time
insulting the players. (See the Gatekeeper node for further
details).
The game seems silly nowadays, but as a kid, it was pretty frightening when
the Gatekeeper popped up on the screen and yelled at you. Apparently, people liked it, because
the game spawned 3 sequels, each of which contained a new video featuring a
different character as host.