From TES issue 27 (May 2004)

Series 2. Level 1.
THE WHEEL OF FATE
How can we make the beginnings of quests more interesting than in the first series? This was a question the Knightmare production team obviously asked themselves at some point whilst planning series 2, and they came up with the following answer: the Wheel of Fate. For every team except that of Akash in series 2, the first room the dungeoneer entered was dominated by a large black opening that showed stars beyond, and there was a lever next to the dungeoneer. As the advisors watched, an entity of light emerged from the blackness and whizzed about for a while before forming a columnar wheel that was turning continuously around where the stars had been moments before. The wheel showed pictures of level one rooms, and the idea was that pulling the lever would stop the wheel at the chamber of the team's choice. There were always three rooms to choose from, and some appeared much more appealing than others. However, I am absolutely convinced that the Wheel of Fate was introduced for aesthetic value only; although it seemed as if the team were choosing their own first challenge, it was rigged every time. Don't believe me, eh? Then just read on. Sometimes it would have been completely unfair to start a quest in one of the rooms offered on the wheel. The classic example here is the Monster's Stomach, which appeared there on more than one occasion. There is no way a dungeoneer would have been dumped in there right at the start of their quest, without any hope of having a way to escape. Sometimes there was a unique new room on the wheel, such as Chris's 'Ring Bell' challenge. The artists weren't going to spend hours of their time devising new chambers and then allow the advisors to ignore them completely, were they? Yes, although it may have looked like the wheel stopped when the dungeoneer pulled the lever, it actually stopped when the Powers that Be wanted it to. If you want further evidence, think of Karen at the end of the series. Two of the rooms were Merlin's study and Cedric's room, which are level two chambers! A fun room, but not a real challenge.

Difficulty: 1 Anyone can pull a lever!
Killer Instinct: 0 The quest had barely even begun at this point.
Gore Factor: 0 Hard to imagine anything grisly with this one.
Fairness: 10 Not difficult or challenging, but an interesting way to begin.

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The wheel of fate, often referred by many as the Wheel of Fortune was the first room in all but 1 quest of series 2. The wheel featured a choice of 3 rooms, which rotated around in a circle. To stop the wheel the dungeoneer had to pull the lever.

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