countdown timer

[Bob Haller]

As part of my game building activities I am looking for a countdown clock. Some sort of circuit or device that could be set for a short period of time say 60 seconds and countdown to zero. perhaps using LEDs or small light bulbs.
Any ideas and thanks for the help.

[russlk]

How about a 555 timer driving a 74xx192 BCD decade counter which drives a 74xx45 1-of-10 decoder? The '192 counts up or down and can be preset. If you cascade two '192s and set the timer for 1 second pulses, it can count up to 100 seconds. The Radio Shack LED bargraph display can be the indicator (276-081). I can draw a schematic if you need it.