It was... Rev. Green, with the candlestick, in the hall (Cluedo)

Member Name: Midrange

Product:	Cluedo
Date:	27/12/08 (64 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Mystery solving board game, for ages 9 and up

Disadvantages: Requires concentration!

Cluedo requires skill and concentration - let's not beat about the bush. If you want to play it well, you have to be methodical (the skill element) and you have to pay attention to the other players (the concentration part).

The premise of the game is quite simple - a fictional character has been murdered in a mansion. Each player is given limited information at the start of the game - this information tells them who did NOT commit the crime. The players have to find out who committed the murder, what the murder weapon was and where the murder took place. One each turn, a player rolls the dice to move around the mansion. Once they enter a room they suggest who-dunnit, the weapon and the room they are currently in. Other players have to share their information with them. Suspects, weapons and locations are graduaully eliminated by each player. Eventually, someone will deduce who must have done it, at which point they make their accusation. If they are correct, they win.

Hmm... having written it down, it does sound quite complicated. Once you've started playing you'll get the idea. What can be complicated is how you choose to record the information you gather. You've got three different things to find out and it's up to you how you go about it. It is possible (and often risky - but fun!) to guess some facts that you haven't specifically deduced yourself. By listening to what other player's accusations, you can work out who THEY think has/hasn't committed the crime. It can get terribly confusing - but this makes it all the more fun. Players can also tactically withhold certain information AND abide by the rules.

To conclude - I have played this game since I was 10. I used to love playing with my family and we all had an equal chance of winning. Age is no barrier. Last Christmas, my granny (aged 75) managed to beat all four of us in a game of "Simpson's Cluedo." Yes - as someone elese mentioned in their reviews, there are plenty of "fun" variations, including a version set in Hogwarts. Magic.

Summary: Roll the dice, enter a room, make an accusation, eliminate, deduce... win!