![](/squares_tiny/publisher/0/0/0/0/7/3/9/2/commodore_format.jpg)
Commodore Format
![](/themeForest/images/clock.png)
Publisher: Virgin Games
Machine: Commodore 64/128
Published in Commodore Format #7
Cluedo Master Detective (Virgin Games)
It's a still, quiet night at Boddy Manor. Suddenly there's a piercing scream (aaaaargh), a thump (thump), and the sound of running feet (pound, pound, pound). Moments later, Mr Boddy is found face down in a pool of blood. Whodunnit? Where? And how?
The board game Cluedo has been a hit since 1946, was turned into a truly awful TV series last year and has already spawned one conversion. So why, you may ask, are they doing another one? The answer is that this is Cluedo Master Detective, an enhanced American version that isn't even available over here as a board game.
It's got six more rooms, three extra weapons, four extra suspects and a totally different floor-plan (which is a tad difficult to distinguish on screen) but the rest is mostly more of the same: you rolls the dice and you makes your move. When you enter a room you make a suggestion (Miss Peach, in the Fountain with the Horseshoe) and the other players show you their cards. If you land on one of the nine new Snoop spaces, you can sneak a peak at one of your opponents' cards.
Up to ten players can take part in any mixture of humans and computer. A complete set of notes is automatically kept for each person, with items ticked off as they're eliminated. You can look at your cards whenever it's your turn. There's no denying that Master Detective is a fast, slick, and user-friendly conversion but if you're playing with friends it's still no substitute for the real thing.
Even with the added bonus of the new features, the atmosphere isn't the same; it's just not pratical to have everybody turning away from the screen when someone wants to look at their cards.
For a solo Sherlock Holmes there's more potential: you can play it whenever you like, your opponents never argue and you'll never lose any of the little plastic bits that end up being hoovered after playing the board game.
The only trouble with this computerised version is, it's too easy to win. So far I've beaten Cludeo Master Detective on the highest difficulty level every single time. That is the truth, sleuth.
Bad Points
- Board graphics are a mite difficult to distinguish.
- Impractical with more than one player.
- Flipping between your cards and the board can be fiddly!
- Computer opposition on all three difficulty levels is too easy to beat.
Good Points
- More suspects, rooms and weapons than the original.
- Fun for solo players.
- The computer works which cards to show.
- Handy save game option.
- Notesheets can be printed as required.
- Speedy computer players.
- Realistic smart alec comments from computer players.
Scores
Commodore 64/128 VersionOverall | 68% |