Wheel of Fortune (Dryicor)

Onnenpyörä (Icelandic: Lukkuhjól, Norwegian: Lykkehjul) was a Dryicoran game show. The local version of Wheel of Fortune, it was broadcast on the DLO from 1979 until 1994, presented by Petra Magnusson.

In 2024, the DLO announced they would reboot the show to return on a Sunday night.

Gameplay
The numbers on the wheel corresponded to the amount of money won by each contestant. Points earned from all players carried on to proceeding rounds, and only scores for the current round were susceptible to Bankrupts, meaning a winner could be crowned that never solved a puzzle, but acquired a sufficient cash sum. This rule would actually encourage sacrificing a player's turn if he or she did not know the puzzle rather than risking his or her points by spinning again.

For the first three series, before the recording of each episode, each contestant spun the wheel; the contestant with the highest score would start the first round. In the programme proper, the contestant was asked a general knowledge question, and if the contestant answered correctly, they spun the wheel. If the contestant landed on a number, they had to pick a letter. If the letter appeared on the puzzle board, the contestant earned the value multiplied by the number of times the letter appeared. A player was allowed to buy a vowel for a flat rate of 250 Kr for any number of repetitions so long as that vowel appeared in the puzzle. The contestant would then spin the wheel again, but the contestant's turn would end if the contestant either (a) landed on a number but picked a letter that did not appear on the puzzle board, earning the contestant no points (but not deducting the number the contestant landed on); (b) bought a vowel that did not appear in the puzzle (still costing the 250 Kr); (c) landed on the "LOSE A TURN" space; (d) landed on the "BANKRUPT" space, losing the contestant's total score for that round (but not from previous rounds); or (e) attempting to solve the puzzle but giving an incorrect answer.

If the contestant landed on the "FREE SPIN", the contestant would be given a "FREE SPIN" token and would spin the wheel again. If the contestant landed on a number but picked a letter that did not appear on the puzzle board, or landed on the "LOSE A TURN" space or the "BANKRUPT" space, the contestant could give their "FREE SPIN" loop to the host and spin again. They could alternatively hand over play to the next contestant.

If the contestant answered the general knowledge question incorrectly, they would not spin the wheel; play would move on to the next contestant.

In the speed round, the host would spin the wheel with the centre player's arrow determining the point value for each contestant. Vowels were worth nothing, and consonants were worth whatever the value spun.

At the start of each round, the contestants would be asked a general knowledge question and the first contestant to buzz in and answer correctly would gain control of the wheel (this included the speed-up round).

The yellow (centre) player's arrow determined the point value for each consonant in the speed-up round. Vowels were worth nothing and consonants were worth the value spun. In case of a tie, each player tied for the lead spun the wheel and the player who spun the higher number went through.

The contestant with the highest winnings proceeded to the Grand Finale with the contestant choosing five consonants and a vowel. The contestant had 15 seconds to solve the puzzle to win the prize. The player could solve any one word individually, and then work on any other word in the puzzle. For example, if the puzzle was "A CUP OF TEA", the player could solve "OF", then "A", then "TEA", and finally "CUP" to complete the puzzle.

In the rare event two or all three players were tied for first place, the host had each player spin the wheel once, and the highest number spun won the game. Spinning a "BANKRUPT" or "LOSE A TURN" did not allow another spin and thus counted as a zero score. Unlike most versions, if the player spins "FREE SPIN" in this circumstance, the player simply has another go at spinning.

All contestants in all series, win or lose, went home with a Wheel of Fortune watch and other Wheel-related merchandise.

In the final, the winning contestant had a free choice of five consonants and one vowel in order to help them identify the answer within 15 seconds to the puzzle and win the prize.

From 1979 until 1991, the wheel could only be spun to the left. However, in 1991 after a famous British outtake involving a player spinning the wrong way, the Dryicoran wheel can be spun either left or right.

Reviews
The show received mostly mediocre reviews from critics, saying the game mechanics, the wheel itself were basic and unoriginal. However, it returned as a simple show that wasn't appointment viewing, but could just simply be there for those who felt like watching.