Three contestants were each allotted five minutes of time as their starting score and tried to protect as much of it as possible by answering questions about their own interests, general knowledge, and word puzzles. Wrong answer deducted seconds from a contestant's clock, while correct answers left their clock intact, cost their opponents some seconds, or allowed them to steal seconds from one opponent depending on the round. The contestant with the most remaining time after four rounds advanced to the "March Against Time" final challenge, answering 15 questions in 60 seconds and accumulating time for each correct answer. The contestants with the best March Against Time results during an individual series returned at its end to compete for a clock-themed prize.