Clue/Cluedo
$10 - $50
Clue/Cluedo at a Glance
| Game Type Murder Mystery, Deduction, Bluffing, Roll & Move | Play Time 10 - 45 mins | Skill Easy |
| Age 8+ | Players 3 - 6 | Published 1949 |
| Publisher(s) Hasbro, Waddingtons, Parker Brothers, Winning Moves | Rules Manual Clue (2002) Rules PDF | Cost $10 - $50 |
| Categories Classic / Family / | Our Rating 8/10 | Related Top 10 Like Clue |
About – Description
Clue or Cluedo as it’s known outside of the US is one the oldest murder mystery board games that many of us have played or at least seen in someones home, especially if you was born before the 1980’s.
There are and has been too many variations and editions to mention here. I am still fond of the original kind of boring classic look that I got for Christmas quite some time ago.
As with many popular board games (especially the classics) clue also comes in a mini travel size and then variations from retro to Star Wars are available, and many others. If a family member is a star wars or Harry Potter fan then these theme types may be ideal for them, although losing the old suspects like Col. Mustard seems to feel wrong to me.
Who’s it best suited for?
Cluedo is ideal for families with children aged around 8 or even 10+. I would say the average game lasts about 20 – 45 minutes which is not too much time for a young family to play. For kids under 8 years old this game may not be fun enough to keep their attention.
Of course this game is also suited for those without children, although some adults may wish for more complexity to the game.
Three or more players (closer to 6) makes Clue more fun.
The feedback from our visitors is that kids still love Clue just as much as I did in the 1980’s.
Skill – Complexity
Clue is a fairly easy game to learn and play. Most people pick it up (even kids) during the first few rolls of the die.
There’s certain amount of memorizing required which adds to the fun for many players but you don’t have to become the next Sherlock Holmes.
Set Up – Playing Rules & Instructions
Cluedo requires a straight forward set up of dishing out a suspect (6 in total and you can choose), weapon and room location cards of the mansion where a murder will happen.
Cards are also placed in a small envelope which hold all the information about the murder (i.e., room, weapon and murderer). Nobody knows what these cards are and the object of the game is to find out what they’re.
Every player takes a turn of rolling the die and moves around the board into rooms, and they ask questions to other players to find what is on the cards that other players hold. If the last two players revealed they have Col. Mustard and a dagger then these are eliminated from the potential murder suspects and weapons used.
The elimination process eventually reveals the murderer and as soon as someone guesses correctly they’ve won.
Each player has a note pad to write down suspects, weapons and the rooms that are not involved in the murder.
Final Thoughts
Taking out the Clue board game on a winters evening for the family to share some time together is still popular and a hell of a lot of fun. There is enough lighthearted guessing skill needed to keep things amusing, but not to serious.
Really pleased to see this old classic still running with more mileage left on the clock for it to continue to play on.
