Well, my two cents on this:
I'd go with the P+/SP format but I'd have the front-game played in a fashion that would have the players play to a specific time-point in the show (leaving enough time for an end-game for the winner), rather than a \"best-of-3\" or a specific dollar score (e.g., the \"$500\" amount that won a game on SP).
My suggested scoring:
No points for guessing a puzzle's \"clue words\" (as on P+/SP).
Scoring for solving a puzzle: In Games #1 and #2 on a given show, 100 points for solving the puzzle with one clue revealed, 80 for solving it with two clues revealed, 60 for solving it with three clues revealed, 40 for solving it with four clues revealed, and 20 for solving it with all five clues revealed.
For Game #3: Respective point values are 250, 200, 150, 100, and 50.
For Game #4: Respective point values are 500, 400, 300, 200, and 100.
If time runs out in a show before the fourth game is completed, play out the puzzle as a \"jump-in,\" revealing the clue-words one at a time (as in the \"$400\" main-game round on Farago's BtB '86); the first team to buzz in gets to guess the puzzle.
I'd go with the \"Alphabetics\" round as an end game (only one per show, and at the end of the program), but it would obviously have to be played for a fixed amount of say, $10,000, rather than the progressive \"jackpot\" that SP had.
Michael Brandenburg
(Otherwise, should make a good show to bring back.)