Are the slides paused as the widget counts down? Is it possible to simply have the slide last for 10 seconds, with staggered captions (each one with a number) appearing each second? If you need something to happen once they reach the end, then you could execute an advanced action upon "exit." (Like pause the slide, show incorrect caption, show next button, etc.)
Without knowing the details of your games I don't know if I'm being helpful or suggesting something silly/unworkable, but it's a thought.