Personal Computer News


Cluedo

Author: Bob Chappell
Publisher: Leisure Genius
Machine: Commodore 64

 
Published in Personal Computer News #089

CLUEDO

A dastardly murder has been committed at Tudor Close. Dr. Black has been done to death - but in which room with what and by whom? Could Miss Scarlett have brained him with a candlestick in the kitchen? Or was the sawbones croaked with a rope by Colonel Mustard in the conservatory?

Fans of the superb Cluedo board game will need no introduction to this famous assemblage of would-be murderers, locations and murder weapons in this authorised implementation.

The program allows up to six participants. Any of these can be the computer playing at one of three skill levels and using elimination, deduction and a limited set of clues, the player should try to be the first one to solve the murder mystery. Not only 'whodunnit' but also 'whatdunnit' and 'wheredunnit'.

Cluedo

Three random clue-cards denoting the murderer, weapon and room are first removed and the remaining cards are dealt. Each player gets the opportunity to throw dice and move round the ground floor of the house. Once in a room the player can suggest the solution, the intention being to identify which cards are still present. All the information (cards, dice, boards, etc) is displayed and handled as appropriate by the computer.

Whether you prefer the board version must be a matter of taste but there's no doubt in my mind that his official implementation is first rate. It remains faithful to the original while adding a few neat touches of its own. I especially liked the theme tunes for each character; the Reverend Green's in Onward Christian Soldiers while Miss Scarlet's is Gone With The Wind! The graphics are a delight.

There are drawbacks, and having to ask other human players to look away when your own data is being displayed is one of them.

Overall though, this is an excellent implementation of a classic board game, with a superb blend of the old with the new.

Bob Chappell

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