Get A Clue

I know nowadays people have less time for fun and games because of work and commitments, or they rather relax with their Playstation, X-Box and Wii(correct spelling?) in front of the TV . I used to be like that too, unless my younger cousin re-introduced me to… board games. Yes, board games. Yep, you guessed it, way back to Snakes ‘n’ Ladders and dices.

One board game in particular has always been my favourite and playing it with my cousins brought back such nostalgic memories of murder, motive and mayhem. The game is (cue the drum roll) Cluedo.

Originally published by the company Waddingtons in 1949 (it’s now published by Hasbro), Cluedo is a crime-mystery board game where the players have to find out after many rounds of accusations (1) Who is the killer, (2) Where was the murder committed, and (3) What weapon did the killer use. If anyone remembers a 1985 movie called Clue, yes, the movie was based on the board game. It’s a good movie, watch it if you have the time. Apparently, there were also television shows based on the game but I’ve never heard or seen one before. You can check http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluedo for more info if you’re interested.

Anyway, back to the game. Back when I first played it, it was simple and fun. There are 6 characters; Colonel Mustard, Miss Scarlet, Mr Green, Mrs Peacock, Professor Plum and Mrs White. One of them killed a rich man, Mr Boddy (North America version) or Dr Black (UK version), and the players have to find out the suspect, weapon and room. Each player is allocated the same amount of cards which consist of the characters, the rooms and the weapons of the game. A random card from each of the characters, rooms and weapons are put in an envelope. This envelope holds the answer to the 3 questions above.

All you have to do is run your chosen character around the board, which is actually a floor plan of a mansion with different rooms such as Dining Room and Kitchen spaced across the board. As you enter any room, you are allowed to make an accusation, ‘I think Colonel Mustard killed Dr Black in the Study with a gun.’ The rest of the players will try to disprove your accusation by showing you a card of either the accused, the crime scene and the weapon. If nobody can prove you wrong, then you are allowed to look at the cards in the envelope. If you are right, you win. If not, you’re out of the game and the remaining players will continue on to solve the murder.

The 2008 version, which is the one I’m playing at the moment, has greatly evolved from the one I used to have. Cluedo still has the same lovable characters and if I’m not mistaken, there are more rooms in the newer version, but the way the game is played has changed. Now there is a stack of cards called the Intrigue cards that you can select throughout the game if you roll a ‘?’ or land on a box with a ‘?’. Stuck among the Intrigue cards are 8 time bombs. The person who pulled out the 8th time bomb card is automatically out of the game as he/she has been killed by the killer. The rest of the Intrigue cards are advantage cards such as ‘Take another turn” or ‘Add 6 to your dice roll’ or ‘You are allowed to see one random card from a player you have shown a card to’. There are also character cards, which have one individual power for each character. However, you can only use the power once in the entire game.

There may be other differences that I can’t think of right now but even though it has changed so much, I still find it a joy to play. At least, it gives my brain a work-out. The only problem I have is that Cluedo must be played by more than 2 people. The thing is only my younger cousin and I have time to play it and no one else wants to join in. Sob, sob, we’re so sad. Do you hear me, cousins, family and friends? Come join us in the crime world (hint hint).

Sigh, I wonder if there’s an online version that I can play. Hmm, something to search for. But seriously, try this game out at least once. If you enjoy watching CSI or love to watch the Crime Investigation channel, you'll definitely enjoy Cluedo.