All clued-up

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Doctor Black was dead - that was the only thing I could be certain of. Was it Colonel Mustard with the revolver or Professor Plum with the rope? Such are the decisions in the computer version of Cluedo.

The game is for up to six players and any number can be computer controlled.

The murder inquiry involves six suspects, six weapons and nine rooms in which the murder could have taken place.

In the board game this information is held on small cards and one card is taken from each of the three groups before the game starts. The rest of the cards are then shuffled and dealt between the players. In the computer version the cards are dispensed with and the program keeps track of this information.

The objective is to deduce which three cards are missing thereby identifying the murderer, weapon and location.

Two thirds of the screen is occupied by a colourful and detailed representation of the playing board.

To the right of this is a picture of the current player and a reminder of the commands which have been assigned to the function keys. These control the major operations in the game.

The suggestion key is the most frequently used option. Once each turn you are allowed to suggest a combination of suspect, weapon and room.

The other players are then asked in turn whether they have one of the cards, in which case they must reveal it to you, allowing you to eliminate it from your inquiry.

You continue in this way until you are sure whodunnit, with which implement and where.

At this point you may press the accusation key, but if you are wrong then you are out of the game.

Cluedo is every bit as good as the original board game.

Steve Brook