Clue DVD Game

[Tannerman]

It's not a secret that Amy and I like to play the board game Clue. Let's just say we own many different versions of the game, plus some related items, such as puzzles and Clue-themed spinoffs. The biggest problem we have, however, is that Clue requires at least 3 people to play... thus why we often play with friends and host Clue nights at our condo.

Box for Clue DVD

One version of the game that we've had for at least a year -- but have never played -- is Clue DVD. I picked this up for free at Toys R Us thanks to our ugly credit card gift cards a while back. It's Hasbro's attempt to capitalize on the big DVD game trend, using established Clue characters. This isn't the first time that the game has been adapted to the TV screen. There were 2 VCR-based games released in the 1980s as well.

Clue was created in the UK as Cluedo back in 1948, owned by a company called Waddington Games. For years Parker Brothers licensed the game, which is how us here in the States got familiar with it. Eventually Hasbro bought Parker Brothers and later bought Waddington Games as well, controlling the full rights to the Clue brand.

Unfortunately, while this exposes the Clue brand to a broader audience, I think that Hasbro's handling of the game has been more to dumb it down for kids and make it more politically correct rather than cater to an adult audience. It's probably a wise business decision, but for fans like myself who have watched the history of the game, it's a little frustrating.

New characters in the game

Case in point... back in 2002, Hasbro relaunched the Clue brand with a new look and packaging. New versions of Clue have historically come out through the decades, so this was no big deal. However, this abstract, 1920s retro-style opened the door for some interesting spinoffs. Using the same style, Hasbro created Clue FX (2003), which introduced a whole new set of characters to join the classic six (Miss Scarlet, Colonel Mustard, Mrs. White, Mr. Green, Mrs. Peacock, Professor Plus).

Nice sculpted figures for pawns

These new characters also aligned with colors: Mrs. Meadow-Brook, Prince Azure, Lady Lavender, Rusty, Lord Gray, and Miss Peach. In introducing these new characters, Hasbro threw out the established "extra" characters that most Clue fans had already been introduced to in 1988: Madame Rose, Monseiur Brunette, Sargent Gray, and Miss Peach (well, the name is the same here).

These new characters not only appeared in Clue FX, but also in Clue Mysteries (2005) and Clue Suspects (2006). It's interesting how everything is revolving around these characters today. I provide that background to point out that these new characters are joined by even more characters (Inspector Brown and Ashe the Butler) in Clue DVD. It seems that the standards 6 characters aren't good enough by themselves anymore. "We need more colors! Kids need more colors! Wee!"

Times of the day added to Detective Notebook

The premise behind Clue DVD is based on classic Clue. You know, deduction. Who? What? Where? However, in the case of Clue DVD, there isn't a murder. Instead, there is a theft. (Again, I think this is to dumb the game down and make it "less scary" for kids. "Murder is bad... we can't have that!") You not only need to figure out WHO took the item, but also WHERE they took it, and WHAT was taken... in addition to WHEN during the day the theft occurred. This adds quite a bit of complexity, as there are quite a few variables to figure out now (which I guess goes against my "dumbed down for kids" angle, doesn't it?)

Rooms are directly connected on the board

There is no dice. Instead, you are presented with the classic Clue board layout... with a couple modifications. Movement is done directly from room-to-room. No walking through hallways. Additionally, there are some exterior locations that are sometimes locked (Fountain, Rose Garden). As always, you have a Detective Notebook to track the suspects, hoping to provide you with the clues you need to solve the game. Much of the action in this version, however, is driven by the DVD. It's not so much that you are watching a lot of stuff. It's more that you are prompted to do stuff by the DVD. It's not a great use of DVD technology if you are expecting actual video, and the computer animation is pretty bad, but it's something different. The game mechanic is unique here -- though probably could have been accomplished with a non-DVD device just as easily.

One of these items was stolen

Last night we finally got to play this game with our friends Gordon and Shoshana Koppin. We were actually surprised that Gordon wanted to play, as he was one of the few who actually completed the disastrous Chicago Marathon the day before (you know, the one where there was record heat, organizers ran out of water, the race was shortened, and a guy died). They are Clue fans, so we thought it would be a good time to test this game out!

Having played the game, I must say it is far more complex than standard Clue. It also takes quite a bit longer to play (I think our game ran 2 hours). There's a bunch of standard gameplay still included, such as the "Make a Suggestion" in order to figure out if someone else has the cards you are seeking. However, there's a lot of other stuff thrown in to add more layers. Additionally, the game mechanic seems to be time-based, in that if you take too long, towards the end of the game, more information is provided to all the players to speed things along.

Would you really steal a Letter Opener?

The standard set of weapons are no more, instead replaced with "Items" that are stolen. These include a Spyglass, Revolver (hey, welcome back!), Rare Book, Billfold, Gold Pen, Letter Opener. Crystal Paperweight, Medal, Pocket Watch, Jade Hairpin, and Scarab Broach. In contrast to normal Clue, you don't actually have little weapons to put on the gameboard. Rather, they just exist in card format.

I do all my thievery before Breakfast

These are complimented with the new deduction element: Time. And there are a lot of components here, making the number of cards and options increase substantially... Dawn, Breakfast, Late Morning, Lunch, Early Afternoon, Tea Time, Dusk, Dinner, Night, and Midnight. Like the Items, "Time" only exists in card format... and on the DVD.

Due to the complex nature of the game, along with the DVD element, there are actually 10 pre-defined cases that are played using all the components. Once you play the 10, that's it. This is one drawback to the game. However, there is a General Case play mode that randomizes the solution (just like classic Clue), though it doesn't use the Items as a variable. Rather, you just figure out the Who, Where, and Time... so there is some longevity available once you work through the core 10 cases.

Overall, I found Clue DVD to be pretty complex and a little hard to learn. But looking back, I sort of appreciate the multi-layer element it brings to the game and would love to try playing it again... if we could only find someone to play with!

If you are curious about the game, play the online demo to see what it's like!

[spudart]

one of these days I gotta lay out a bigger clue tracking sheet. The ones they give us don't have enough room!