IT WAS HIM! IT WAS HER! IT WAS ALL OF THEM! (221b Baker Street)

Member Name: Skyedame

Product:	221b Baker Street
Date:	05/12/05 (500 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Absorbing. Compulsive. Good fun. Easy to set up. Rules quite straight forward to grasp.

Disadvantages: None - but any child under 11 may find it slow

Should you be lucky enough to be spending some time over the festive season with your loved ones, and the cry goes up "There's nothing on the tele!" then no doubt you will be racking your brains to find something to keep everyone entertained.

Traditional parlour games, board games, card games etc are a great stand-by for when the kids and/or in-laws are getting fractious. We all have our favourites and I'd like to introduce you to mine:

THE MASTER DETECTIVE GAME: 221B BAKER STREET: SHERLOCK HOLMES.

Are you a fan of Sherlock Holmes? Do you enjoy using your imagination and skill to detect who-dunnit and with what? If you do, then you will enjoy this board game which can be played with 2-6 people aged 11 years upwards. Just be warned that it's one of those games where people do tend to do a lot of pensive pencil sucking, scribble, munch and slurp, before they look sly and smugly convinced they've cracked the case. A child with a limited attention span will possibly find it a little slow, particularly if they're more used to electronic games. Do try to involve them in a board game like this - not only will it sharpen up their powers of 'deduction', it's a great way to bring the family together and get to know each other again after months of sitting like cabbages in front of the tele or computer games.

The game, made by Gibsons©, is easy to set up, the rules are quite straight forward to grasp, it’s absorbing, compulsive - good value for money!

It contains:

Playing board 40 Case cards
1 die Rules
6 tokens* Clue Booklet
8 Scotland Yard cars Answer Booklet
8 Skeleton Key cards Solution Checklist Pad

*Tokens: Depending on the quality of the game purchased, your tokens will either be metal or plastic. The tokens in my game are little plastic things which look like bollards, but when I was last in the States I bought this game for my daughter and her husband and that game had metal tokens in the shape of Sherlock's pipe; Sherlock's Deerstalker hat; Magnifying Glass etc. Much more classy and fun!

You will also find it handy to have: Extra pieces of paper, pens or pencils and a large pot of your favourite tea and a tin of lemon cake. This last is optional, but it's traditional in our family because one can't solve clues on an empty stomach, Holmes!

The Game's Afoot!

BASIC PLAY:
The game is easy to set up, very absorbing, quite straight forward to pick up the rules, is compulsive and good value for money!

Play commences by one person reading aloud the facts of the Case to be solved, and the answers required i.e. who committed the crime; their motive; method etc. Each player in turn then moves his token around the board by throw of the die, visiting the various premises depicted in order to pick up clues towards the solution of the Case.

Upon entering any one of the 14 locations (e.g. Museum, Park, Hotel), the players consult the Clues List and read the appropriate clue to themselves. (Warning: You will find yourself following the words on the card with your finger and mouthing silently, like a 5-year-old new reader). The clues are separated into four categories: General, Killer, Motive and Weapon, and each clue can have up to four parts. Each clue gives either factual information or is a cryptic clue, which in itself has to be deciphered before yielding a part of the final answer.

By this means the answers required will emerge with individual clues forming pieces of the "jigsaw puzzle" which is the final solution - who dunnit, how and why, the cad!

SKILL REQUIRED:

Whilst the game demands a level of skill in sifting evidence and interpreting clues, as in real life luck will play a part in determining the ultimate winner. Players may also hinder their opponents by 'sealing' off' premises containing vital information by playing a 'Scotland Yard' card and such premises may only be opened by using a 'Skeleton Key' obtainable from the Locksmiths.

You are entitled to look at the clue which corresponds to the location. This is good, because unless you have a photographic memory, you'd never remember all the clues. One of the most oft repeated phrases in this game is: "Let's just have a look at the back of the card again…"

The winner is the first player to return (at any stage of the game) to '221B Baker Street' and announce the correct solution to the case.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO PLAY?

Solving a case can take anywhere between 45 mins to well over an hour, depending on how many people are playing. Believe me, once you think you've got it sussed, the adrenalin races as you try to get back to 221B Baker Street so you can reveal your answer. This is where the game of 'chance' comes in because it's possible that someone else will also think they have solved the Case and will be frantically trying to make their way back to base.

HOW HARD/EASY IS IT TO GRASP THE GAME?

I would suggest a 'dry run' the first time you play this game as although it is easier to play once you understand the Rules, there's nothing more frustrating than people insisting "That's not in the Rules!" The instruction book we have has just a little over 3 pages of Rules, the rest being Clues and Case Solutions. You'd be wise to take some time to study the tips on winning the game, because there is no DNA kit provided and the pathology labs are always closed over holiday periods.

THE REST:

There are 40 Cases to solve, and with titles like: 'The Adventure of the Peculiar Charwoman' or 'The Adventure of the Murdered Banker' (another good idea why it's best played stone, cold sober), these should keep you amused for quite some time but I understand there are add-on Cases you can buy.

GOODIE! I LOVE THE SOUND OF THIS! WHERE CAN I GET ONE?

Ah! Now then! I've just checked Amazon and they have it there at £19.00, and I’ve just checked ebay and I see there are some there, one at present standing at £2.99! I would also imagine you could get one from one of the larger book stores which also carry board games (Waterstones or Borders for instance). Now is a good time to get them to order one if they're not in stock.

I bought my game off ebay last year for £12 second-hand and I think it'll be in our family for many years to come.

MY OPINION:

Someone remarked to me that this game sounds something like Cluedo. I’ve never played Cluedo, so I can’t vouch for that.
When we first played this game it was in the heat of Arizona. But with the vivid descriptions of the crime scenes, set in Victorian London, we could almost taste the smog, hear the ticking of an old grand-father clock, smell Sherlock's pipe and count his muffled tread as he paced the carpet deep in contemplation, so engrossed were we in the Case; each sleuth around the table determined to be the one to solve it.

Thank you for reading.

©Skyedame - Dooyoo 2005

Summary: Why stare at the tele when you can have fun & interaction with friends & family?!