CLUE ACCUSATIONS & ALIBIS (2009)

I joined the Gamehouse Games site and was very pleased when this game appeared. It is based on the 2008 Version of CLUEDO and includes a hidden object game. The pics here are screen shots so some might be slightly blurry. After the opening screen, the next two appear before starting the game.

                     

There is an "Achievements" button on the first page. I'll explain that later. For now, hit the "New Game" button and the next screen appears. Press accept and we're off. In this version you play a sleuth but still receive three initial clues which are the equivalent of three cards in a normal game. There are 24 items in this game (6 Suspects, 9 Weapons & 9 Rooms) so there are 21 items left to distribute. You have three and the six suspects also have three each.

The next screen has four usable tabs at the top of the screen, Game Map, Checklist, Evidence & Hint Log. The first item is the Game Map. At the start of each game, two random adjacent rooms are lit, the others are all padlocked. In the following picture, the Theatre & Living Rooms are lit. You choose which room to go to and each time you finish in a room, the next room clockwise becomes lit. This continues until all 9 rooms are lit and accessible. The white note pad on the left of the screen gives you the instructions for that screen.

As mentioned above, there are nine rooms. Each time you enter a room you will see one of two aspects. Before continuing, the rooms and both aspects are listed below.

HALL

GUEST HOUSE

DINING ROOM

KITCHEN

PATIO

SPA

THEATRE

LIVING ROOM

OBSERVATORY

When you enter a room you begin the hidden object part of the game. It's fairly easy to find the eight objects in each room especially after you have played it a few times, but it is important when the hints start coming from the suspects. Each room has eight objects & a weapon to find & in six of the nine rooms there is a coat check ticket dropped by a suspect. This gives details of a coat style and personal item carried for that suspect. Once again, this information comes in useful when the hints start.

You start the game with two hours to find the culprit. To be quite honest, thirty minutes would probably be generous. However, in some of the rooms you may find a timepiece which will give you a bonus 15 minutes extra time. This could be a watch, clock on the wall, an egg timer, a sundial or any other time piece. Although I have never counted, I believe there are three time pieces to be found each game so you could actually end up with two hours and forty five minutes to find the culprit. You really WOULD have to be a dunce to run out of time.

Finally for this part, there are secret passages between the corner rooms as in the normal game. This would be useful if you wanted to get to a locked corner room instead of waiting for it to become accessible. To get through the passages you have to either:-
1. Rotate wires to join two parts of a security lock
2. Use gears from the side panel to make the two gold gears rotate in the correct direction
3.Uncover cards to make matching pairs
Although not a great picture due to leaving flash on by mistake, this shows a pair of Bats. You have to uncover all pairs to get through

If you succeed in any of the above, a hint is added to the Hint Log (More of that later)

So, you have entered a room, found all the objects, the weapon &, if applicable, the coat check ticket. Now you have to start a rumour. This, of course, is just the CLUEDO 2008 way of saying make a suggestion. You need not use the room you are in for your suggestion. The following screens appear after you have completed your search. The second picture shows the same type of screen but with the added coat check ticket.

         

The rumour screen appears next and you start your rumour. In the following instance, the rumour is Mustard, Bat, Patio. Note that the suspects are just referred to as their surnames now.

You now have three possible responses from the suspects
Response 1. You will be given a definite piece of information. In this case Peacock has been used in the accusation and we are told it is definitely not her. This, of course, is the equivalent of being shown a card in the normal game.
Response 2. You are given a hint. In this case we are told that the murderer did not bring a cape. This is added to the hint log. This is, basically, the same as having no card from the accusation to show.
Response 3. I don't know anything about that rumour. This response normally appears more towards the end of the game when the suspect has given you all their three pieces of information and any hints they may have.

The original Game Map screen with the three other usable tabs are used mostly during this game.
1. Checklist Tab. Basically your detective note sheet. Here you record all your information. The red crosses indicate automatic crossing off. This occurs after every suggestion and at the start of the game. The yellow crosses are added by you after the clues in the hint log.
2. Evidence Tab. You can recall what was found in each room with this tab. AND FINALLY..!!!
3. Hint Log. Every time a hint is given, it is added to this page. All hints are negative and are given to clear, not accuse. Hints about the suspects are yellow, weapons are blue & rooms are white. In the example to the left it tells you the murderer did not bring a fur coat. You then check your evidence page to see which suspect had a fur coat. This suspect can then be crossed off your checklist. These are the yellow crosses. In the same way and with the example to the left, when you find a room with a pencil you can cross that off. Similarly, when you search The Patio you can cross off the weapon found there.

And that is the game! When you think you know the answer you can either press the 'ACCUSE' or go to the swimming pool in the middle of the board to make your final accusation.

If you are incorrect you lose 1 hour from your time and you have to continue the game. If you are right, the following screen appears.

Finally, achievements. You can gain six of these. 1. On a Roll. You get one of these for solving ten cases, and then another for solving 25. 2. Eagle Eyes. For solving a case without using the flashlight hint button in the rooms, or evidence icons - though not sure what they are. 3. Lucky Guess. Speaks for itself. Getting the right solution on the first accusation. With 426 possible combinations there isn't much chance of that. 4. Timeless. Finishing with more than two hours on the clock. 5. Speed Demon. Solving the case in under an hour. 6. Ace. Solving The Case with Eagle Eyes & Timeless.

I only have one slight niggle with this and all electronic versions of CLUE/CLUEDO. It does seem to use the same items over & over again. I have played 58 games and so far the Bat has been the murder weapon 3 times while the Candlestick has only been once. However, the Rope has been the murder weapon 13 times. Similarly, the Hall has only been the murder location twice & the Patio three times while the Guest House has been chosen 12 times. This is the same with the 1998 Murder At Blackwell Grange CD Rom where Mrs. White & Professor Plum seem to be the murderer over & over again. Perhaps a little more randomness would be nicer but all that aside, it's still another great version of CLUE :)

 

 

 

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