Abstract: An interactive game system for individual participants at remote locations to compete with one another over a distributed electronic network in response to a game show host administering a program broadcast via mass media. Participants are authenticated in order to participate in the game. A computational center evaluates the correctness and speed of responses made by participants, administers a scheme for rating the performance of each participant in real time, and reports back the results of this performance evaluation. In the preferred embodiment, the game is divided into a discrete plurality of rounds. Successful participants in each round advance to subsequent rounds until a champion is determined. The game then begins anew.