Whodunnit?

Clue is one of the most popular board games of all time. In fact, it may be the most popular board game, second only to the Parker Bros classic Monopoly. It concerns the murder of one Mr. Boddy (Mr. Black in the original English version) in a house full of characters, all suspect. Each player takes on the role of one the characters and must solve the murder, correctly guessing who did it, which weapon they used, and in which room of the house the murder took place in.

The game is won by process of elimination. At the start of the game, three cards - representing a person, weapon, and room - are put into an envelope labeled "confidential" and these cards reveal the guilty party. The player must uncover which cards are in the envelope by figuring out what is in each opposing player's hand.

Welcome to the 21st Century

We're in the computer age and, like everything else, Clue has made the leap from analog to digital. If you're a purist, don't be alarmed, as everything that makes the game special has survived the jump intact to make this the definitive version of the classic mystery game.

It's a cold and rainy night and Inspector Brown has a murder to solve. It happened at Tudor Mansion where Mr. Boddy was found murdered shortly after the power went out. The suspects are Mr. Green, Professor Plum, Colonel Mustard, Miss Scarlet, Mrs. White, and Mrs. Peacock. The roads are flooded so you're forced to sleep over. This is going to be a long night.

Forgive me for being a bit dramatic but this is the excitement that Clue instills in me. The presentation does a fantastic job of getting you into the mood with eerie music and the well-drawn, suspicious looking characters. The story is mostly told with still images, but a few animations here and there really show the care put into this product.

With each turn, you must jump from room to room and make accusations about the murder. If an opposing player has a card that proves your accusation false, they're forced to show it to you. All of this information goes into your checklist as you narrow down the list of possible suspects. While the game obviously doesn't strive for realism - the Inspector can't tell if Mr. Boddy was murdered by a gunshot or a rope - it presents a fun whodunnit mystery.

It Was Mrs. Peacock, in the Library, with the Wrench

The satisfaction of putting a crook - a murderer, no less - is unparalleled and that's what makes Clue such a timeless game. Almost everyone loves a good detective story and this game is the perfect representation of just that. As an added bonus, you'll gain certain achievements as you solve more and more cases. Before you know it, you'll rise to the rank of Chief Inspector!

This is a perfect version of a one of the greatest games of all time and it should be in your collection!