Please login to submit a screenshot

MURDER is the only illegal move you are allowed to make in Cluedo, the authorised computer version of Waddington's board game.

As a firm believer in cheating, Leisure Genius left me smarting. What fun is Cluedo, if you cannot hide the identities of your clue cards or make suggestions about locations which you hold in your hand?


Cluedo closely follows the original board game, using exceptional graphics to depict the board and the 3D dice which roll over it. When a player enters a room and makes a clue suggestion a view of that room appears. The switch between displays is incredibly fast and expertly done.

Once chosen, the characters are assigned clue cards which depict locations, suspects and weapons. One card from each of those catagories is chosen by the computer to form the situation for the murder. The characters must then move around the locations asking whether other players have particular cards which, once seen, can be eliminated from their enquiries.

Movement and suggestion phases form the main part of the game and the speed at which those cycles take place can be controlled at the start.

The sound effects slow down play considerably. They introduce players onto the screen as their turns roll around. Music includes Onward Christian Soldiers for the Rev Green, Air on a G String for Mrs White and Land of Hope and Glory for Mrs Peacock.

The grand denouement can come when a player makes an accusation. It is a one-time-affair for that player and it is done using three menus from which the choice is selected. If wrong, the player faces expulsion from the game. The computer can then either take over the play of the loser's cards, the player can keep them but not participate, or the game can be ended.

The big advantage that computer Cluedo has over the board game is that you can play against the computer at any time. You do not need a full complement of friends.

The Spectrum is certainly not a good competitor for all its large memory and logical powers. Cluedo is, therefore, best played with a number of human and a few computer participants.


Publisher Leisure Genius
Price £9.95 Memory 48K
****

John Gilbert

CLUEDO
Leisure Genius / £9.95

Ross: Was it Mrs. Peacock, in the Conservatory, with the revolver ... or Reverend Green in the Library? For those of you who've never played this classic board game, the thought of solving mysterious murders in a huge mansion setting must sound pretty intriguing. But the thing is, after you've learnt all the names of the characters, and the rooms, the novelty wears well and truly off!
As the Spectrum version follows the original Waddington's traditions, there's nothing to distinguish the two. You'll see the same board, throw the same dice and make the same old moves from room to room. You'll also make the same old accusations about who did what, and where? What's more, you'll miss out on the miniature weapons that you can place on the board in the original.
Another let down is the pictorial versions of the rooms. They convert the palatial, spacious residence of your imagination into a vision of next-door's pokey semi ... shame.
It has to be said that the graphics are clear, and the speed of play is pretty nifty, so you'll be kept on the move. If you fancy yourself as a good- ol'-fashioned detective, then you'll find everything you need in this one. 6/10
Rick: Same old solid replication of the board game. Ivor Notion Miss Scarlett did it with the lead-piping, but that's another story. If you're a Cluedo fan, you could be playing it for hours, in the kitchen, the lounge or wherever! 7/10
Dougie: The graphics are nice and the program's well written - but who could think of playing Cluedo on anything but the lounge floor? 7/10