Game: Clue DVD Game

Thread: Re: The Case of the Missing Hour and a Half

gamemark — 2008-06-07T16:03:00+00:00

Randougall wrote:
Heh heh, nice review. I love the old detective talk.

I bought this one from the thrift store, and unfortunately have yet to play. I agree the pieces are great, and NO DICE!! This should help move the game along.

The game comes with a little red magnifying glass to 'decipher clues'. Is it just a silly gimmick, or does it actually work well? I'm not sure how else a secret clue from the TV could be given without alerting other players....

The magnifying glass can be a little obnoxious (hard to read) but it does work. The bigger the screen, the better.

Thread: Re: The Case of the Missing Hour and a Half

Randougall — 2008-06-06T13:50:17+00:00

Heh heh, nice review. I love the old detective talk.

I bought this one from the thrift store, and unfortunately have yet to play. I agree the pieces are great, and NO DICE!! This should help move the game along.

The game comes with a little red magnifying glass to 'decipher clues'. Is it just a silly gimmick, or does it actually work well? I'm not sure how else a secret clue from the TV could be given without alerting other players....

Thread: Re: The Case of the Missing Hour and a Half

Antonakis — 2008-06-06T09:41:27+00:00

Your writing style...
...let's just say that if you have authored any books, I want to buy them!´
Oh and I loved your review!

Thread: The Case of the Missing Hour and a Half

VixenTorGames — 2008-06-06T06:17:45+00:00

The city never sleeps. It's a cruel mistress that wakes me up in the middle of the night, and never with a warm kiss. It pulls me from my warm bed to tell me stories of mayhem, crime, and murder. Then it drags me around by my wrinkled necktie, making me look at the dirty underbelly of the place I call home.

Take the case of the Clue DVD Game. Sure, I know what you're thinking. You've heard this song before. The tune may change, but the words are always the same - doesn't matter if it was Scarlett or Mustard, Green or Plum, because in the end, Boddy's dead and it's my job to figure out whodunnit, and where, and how. It's an old song, and by now, it's a boring song. Trust a board game and a rotten whore of a home town to make a murder dull.

But this case is different. This time, the city wants to make me work harder than ever before. This time, my harsh lover tells me a tale, not of murder, but of burglary. She still wants me to find out who did it, and where, and what got pinched, but now I have to figure out when the dirty deed went down.

But this time, she gives me a little help. Instead of wandering around at the random whims of a single die roll, she lets me go right from room to room. No more standing outside in the hallway while some other gumshoe gets the dirt on Peacock in the ballroom with the candlestick. No more standing outside the kitchen, one damned roll away, listening to White put the screws to Mustard and his stinking revolver.

And I have other help, help that dirty slut of a city hadn't considered when she hauled me up in the middle of the night to wander around Tudor Manor and help some crusty old millionaire recover his purloined tchotckes. This time, I can ask the butler for help, and he can sing like a canary. This time, I can ask a copper for help now and then. And this time, a wrong guess isn't the end of the line.

Maybe the city doesn't hate me as much as I love her. Maybe she doesn't mind if, as the hunt for the sticky-fingered villain progresses, me and all the other private dicks sometimes share our information, throwing cards into the evidence room for everyone to see, whether we like it or not.

And then again, maybe she still hates me. Because in the end, if the head copper on the DVD asks for a card and I don't have one to give, it's curtains for me, sister, and don't bother bringing flowers. So it looks like that dirty bitch might still have the last laugh - if I can't solve this case before time runs out, the bad guy gets away and I flat-out lose. That's what I get for guessing wrong.

That's what I get for loving this city. And that's what I get for loving this game.

Summary

Pros:
Reinvents Clue - and makes it fun again
The DVD means you can make an accusation and not outright lose the game
Really neat components

Cons:
Cheesy 3D animation looks like bad Nickelodeon cartoons
Can slow down a little while you access the DVD

Thread: Re: Whoops! Thought it was for 2+... Can it be done with 2?

Jighm — 2008-04-26T21:43:54+00:00

This game can work pretty well for two players if you are playing one of the 10 pre-constructed cases because the item cards are not immediately in the game. It certainly wouldn't be as much fun as a 2-player game, though.

When playing the general case, you could add in the item cards and make the item part of what you must solve. You could figure out a way to get these cards into play little by little. For example, whenever you use a secret passage and it allows you to go through without anything special popping up, you get to take an item card into your hand. You'll still have the 2 rooms with the face-down item cards to look at, as well.

Jighm

Thread: Re: The Evidence Room

Jighm — 2008-04-26T21:36:55+00:00

Just to add a little reasoning for this answer -

Firstly, the rulebook does say that cards put into the Evidence Room are done so face-up. As well, anyone can look through those cards anytime.

Secondly, you are only allowed to make an accusation in the Evidence Room. You must choose this option when you enter that room.

Thirdly, when you select the option to view a card, you will play a mini-game particular to the room that you are in. The Evidence Room is not done this way.

The fact of the matter is, there will soon be too many cards in the ER to try looking at one per turn. The game uses the putting of cards into this room for speeding up the game after a while.

When we first played this game, only skimming through the instructions, we didn't know how to put them in there, either. We soon learned that they needed to be face-up in there. When I read the rules later, they mentioned this.

This is a GREAT game. I hope to see other cases come out for it.

Jighm

Thread: Re: Copy of the rulebook

virtualsharon — 2007-12-30T03:56:24+00:00

http://www.hasbro.com/common/instruct/Clue_DVD.pdf

Thread: Re: Someone please help

virtualsharon — 2007-12-30T03:44:54+00:00

I am having the same problem. I exchanged my game because I was convinced it was broken. I don't understand- what is the point of having the DVD if nothing prompts you for your next turn? How long does it take for the options to change? It keeps telling me that the "inspector would like to see me" I hit OK but nothing happens. I read the rule book but it doesn't give enough information. I know this doesn't answer your questions. I just wanted to say you are not alone. I am going to surf some more and re-post if I get any more answers.

Thread: Re: Someone please help

kgoff989 — 2007-12-28T00:26:58+00:00

It's almost as if you guys aren't playing it right.

I haven't encountered any of the problems you guys are talking about.

Thread: Re: Whoops! Thought it was for 2+... Can it be done with 2?

kgoff989 — 2007-12-28T00:21:58+00:00

I have played it with two, and there were no problems. You just choose 3 when it asks for the number of players, and place the three pawns on the board. You just deal hte cards out among the two players and you're good to go.

Thread: Re: US version of Clue DVD game

W0tever — 2007-11-19T03:33:14+00:00

The Monte Carlo Affair
The Garden Party
A Bad Sport
The Hunt
The Autumn Leaves
The Costume Party
Spring Cleaning
A Princess Is Born
A Grand Ball
The Last Straw

Thread: Re: The Evidence Room

mczolton — 2007-09-16T17:10:26+00:00

Thanks for the clarification.

Thread: Re: The Evidence Room

GaBa — 2007-09-11T13:04:28+00:00

all players immediately get to see what the card is

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cagriggs — 2007-08-22T14:07:49+00:00

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cagriggs — 2007-08-22T14:07:37+00:00

Thread: The Evidence Room

mczolton — 2007-08-19T15:27:52+00:00

When the Inspector asks a player to place a card in the evidence room, do all players immediately get to see what the card is, or do they have to move to the evidence room to view the card?

Thanks!

Thread: US version of Clue DVD game

nazgul748 — 2007-07-23T07:08:31+00:00

Does anyone have a list of the scenarios from the US version of the Clue DVD game? I have the New Zealand edition and it's the same as the UK's. I've heard the the US version has different and more set games.
Thanks,
Ray

Thread: Re: Someone please help

Gislef — 2007-06-11T17:13:49+00:00

The tricky part we found is that... well, you expect the screen to prompt you or something to move at the beginning of every turn. If all your players do is move sans secret passages and make "suggestions," then you may never use the DVD screen interactively at all, until the Inspector shows up.

This does make the general/random game a bit tedious, since all you need the DVD for is moving through secret passageways (after a while we never seemed to get anything good or bad for moving through a secret passage), and the Inspector's random events.

Thread: Re: Whoops! Thought it was for 2+... Can it be done with 2?

Gamemaster — 2007-05-30T03:46:29+00:00

You cannot play Clue DVD with 2 players and have fun with it. The game still uses the same deduction mechanism from the boardgame (which is also 3+ players).

The only Clue game that 2 players can play is Clue FX which is pretty fun!

Thread: Whoops! Thought it was for 2+... Can it be done with 2?

carl67lp — 2007-05-25T04:48:59+00:00

I must have been thinking of some other Clue game that could be done with 2 players. (Or, I was completely off my rocker.)

I've seen some of the nice 2-player Clue variants, and I wonder if any of them can be adapted to the DVD version. Or, conversely, I wonder if there are any DVD game-specific variants that could work.

Any thoughts?

Thread: Re: Someone please help

Spielguy — 2007-05-07T06:54:19+00:00

The big issue you were missing is that on any turn you can make a suggestion. You must move to an adjacent location. When there you may suggest a character, time of day, and object (don't forget the room). Just as in regular clue the other players, starting with the one to your left, has to disprove the suggestion. Once one of them disproves the suggestion by showing you the card then your turn is over.

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hotrodqt — 2007-04-22T16:10:02+00:00

US version -- box front

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hotrodqt — 2007-04-22T16:09:30+00:00

US version -- box back

Thread: Copy of the rulebook

Keisus — 2007-01-23T15:53:10+00:00

Can anyone post the copy of the rulebook in english???
Or any hints where I can find it...
Thnx

Thread: Re: [Review] Clue: the DVD Game

Cluedokid25 — 2007-01-02T22:19:15+00:00

Everybody is entitled to their own opinion, but I seriously beg to differ. I feel that the Clue DVD game is one of the WORST VERSIONS EVER. This game is a disgrace to the name of Clue by it's silly concept of replacing murder with theft. What a terrible idea! Stealing, while it's a severe crime is lightyears away from mystery and intrigue of commiting murder. Thus, the zest to solve the mystery is gone. So is the classic concept and charm. The new characters look quite horrid as well. We get a very fat and ugly Egyptian Prince, a dotty looking Mrs. Peacock look-a-like, a crochety old gardener with a cringe worthy name, and a increadibly dull Lady, who looks looks nothing like a Lady at all. The artwork in the game is terrible to say in the least. Even the original 6 look awful(Why is our dear Colonel lost in the horrid moustache?) Even Miss Scarlet looks terribly ugly in this game with her plastic sugery looks. The medium just doesn't work. I feel that Hasbro is trying their best to slowly PC-ify Clue and water it down so kids don't have to look at murder. Obviously their target audience has changed. Soon we will get CLue DVD Game 2-Who helped Mr. Boddy with the dishes?

As for the gameplay, the cover art throws you off into believeing their will be some character animation sequences. This is not true. All you see it the character in a stationary position against a background. How Lame.

Skip this version, and play the original edition instead. Or if you want a better advanced version, play Clue: Master Detective. The art, and gameplay is excellent in the version. When it comes to transfering Clue to DVD, Hasbro doesn't have a clue.

Thread: Re: Someone please help

RobDaviau — 2006-12-31T16:36:30+00:00

When a case first starts, most of the DVD menu options are not available. Players are basically playing standard Clue. They can move to a room and make a suggestion, just like Clue. After a few minutes, the inspector will interrupt play and tell you that the butler is now available for questions. The butler option should now be selectable. Now players have the choice of moving to a room and either making a suggestion or summoning the butler. As the game goes on all the options will slowly become accessible. Remember that you only do one of these choices on your turn.

Hope this helps.

Thread: Someone please help

crystalized27 — 2006-12-30T04:42:44+00:00

We got the game clue dvd. I cannot figure out how to play it. It will not pop up and let us summon the butler or any other feature besides take a secret passage and make an accusation. Can any one help us to figure this out.

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koby_shachar — 2006-10-12T21:17:33+00:00

Time

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koby_shachar — 2006-10-12T21:17:30+00:00

Items

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koby_shachar — 2006-10-12T21:10:57+00:00

Locations

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koby_shachar — 2006-10-12T21:10:32+00:00

Suspects

Thread: Re: [Review] Clue: the DVD Game

RobDaviau — 2006-08-22T11:42:13+00:00

The option to summon the butler should appear after the first 3 minutes. Once setup is done, there should be a menu with many of the options grayed out. After three minutes you'll get a message that the inspector wants to see you. After his message, you'll return to the main menu where the Summon the Butler option should now be selectable.

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shawn_low — 2006-07-07T05:04:19+00:00

Same Game Card with information decoded with spyglass!

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shawn_low — 2006-07-07T03:38:30+00:00

The DVD, case and case list (10 cases).

Thread: Re: [Review] Clue: the DVD Game

slyde — 2006-05-19T22:31:47+00:00

ditto.. i thought this might be a rehashing of the 80's VCR clue (which i still own and still love), but it looks like a new animal. I'll have to pick this one up!

thanks!

Thread: Re: [Review] Clue: the DVD Game

Mike A — 2006-04-17T13:53:10+00:00

Thanks for the review. I was wondering if it would be like the Clue VCR Game but on DVD (which would not be a bad thing, in my opinion) but it sounds like it's quite different in the implementation. I'm intrigued and will have to check it out.

Thread: [Review] Clue: the DVD Game

TomVasel — 2006-04-07T14:01:46+00:00

I've never been a big fan of Clue, thinking that it is entirely too simple, with unnecessary luck (dice movement). I know that it's become a cultural icon, but I've found games such as Mystery of the Abbey better. Recently I tried the Clue card game, which was closer to what I was looking for, but I still found lacking. When I received Clue: the DVD (Hasbro/Parker Brothers, 2006 - designers uncredited) game, I was slightly wary at the mixing of electronics and board game - and as I said, I really wasn't fond of Clue to begin with. Upon reading the rules, however, I was hopeful, because the game sounded rather well done.

And I must say that Clue: the DVD game is, in my opinion, the definitive form of Clue. It's much more enjoyable, giving me a challenge when playing. There is a "random" game that can be played, which is rather enjoyable; but it's the ten specific cases that are included on the DVD that make the game great. All of my problems with the original Clue game have been solved, and the DVD enhances the experience, rather than overwhelming it.

In this version, there are ten suspects (with Prince Azure, Rusty, Mrs. Meadow-Brook, and Lady Lavender added to the original six), eleven locations (adding new ones like the Rose Garden), ten times (such as Dawn, Early Afternoon, and Dinner). No longer is poor Mr. Boddy murdered, but rather an item of his has been stolen. In the ten DVD cases, there are also ten items (spyglass, gold pen, medal, etc.) that can possibly be stolen. Each player is given a clue sheet that has all the possibilities listed thereon, and a pencil.

The following rules all apply to the preset games on the DVD:

The DVD is played and gives specific instructions on how to set up that particular game. One of each of the four categories (suspect, location, time, and item) is placed in an envelope, using a red "reader" and locating symbols on the backsides of the cards. This way no player knows what cards are in the envelope, but the DVD does. The remainder of the item cards are placed in a pile near the board, while the other three categories are shuffled into one large deck and dealt out to all the other players evenly (extra cards are placed face up in the middle of the table for all to see). Each player controls one character that starts in the middle of the board in the Evidence Room. The other eleven rooms on the board are attached to this room and each other via paths. One player goes first, with play passing clockwise around the table.

On a player's turn, they first move to an adjacent location, then take one of five options. When moving, a player simply follows a walkway that connects two rooms. If a player is in a room containing a secret passageway, they may attempt to traverse to the corresponding room. The player clicks the secret passageway option on the DVD, and they are told if they are successful or not, and/or if anything else happens.

After moving, a player may make a suggestion. They simply name three of the four things that they think make up the solution to the robbery (i.e. Rusty in the Conservatory at Noon). A player may name any three things; but if they name a location, they must actually be at that location. The first player to their right must attempt to prove that the suggestion is false by secretly showing one of the cards in the suggestion to the player. If the player doesn't have any of the cards, then the next player must attempt this, and so on. Once a player shows a single card to the suggesting player, that player's turn is over.

At an early point in the game, the Butler becomes available (noted on the DVD). A player may click the button to summon him on their turn. The Butler will give a clue about who has done the deed, but all players can watch this clue. The Butler will also give the top card on the item deck toe the summoning butler.

A player can also read a note in the rules booklet left by the Inspector, given as a clue for that specific scenario. The Inspector will also show up at odd times during the game and cause specific events to happen - such as laying an as-of-yet-unrevealed card face down in a room. A player can attempt to look at one of these face down cards on their turn if in that room, and a simple observation test is done via the DVD to see if they can.

Finally, a player, if in the evidence room, can make an accusation, naming all four things by inputting them into the DVD. If they are correct, they win the game; otherwise, they must surrender some cards to the evidence room.

When playing the "General Case" game, there is no butler, and players only seek to find the "who", "when", and "where", but not the item. This game still utilizes the DVD for secret passageways and general events by the Inspector. When making an accusation in this game, a player simply looks in the envelope to see if they are correct.

Some comments on the game…

1.) Components: The game comes in a typical sized Hasbro box with a nice plastic insert to hold all the pieces correctly. The playing pieces are pre-painted sculpted plastic, which look rather nice on the board, and a very nice notepad (each sheet useful for five games) included in the setup. The cards as well as the board have some very nice artwork, and the board itself is really rather well done. The back of each card has six symbols secretly printed on it that can only be read by the red magnifying glass included with the game. A mission might use the four cards that have a fingerprint symbol in the top left corner, for example. This is easy and actually works rather well to pick the four cards for the symbols. Less easy is using the glass for secret numbers on the screen - which works, but is a bit more unwieldy.

2.) DVD Components: The DVD works rather well, both with a remote controller and with a mouse, although I had a little bit of trouble making the actual accusations at first. The music is very well done, although I suppose for some people it might be repetitive - I never noticed it after a while. The graphics and cut scenes are exactly at the point where they are interesting but not so annoying as to take up too much of your time. Overall, I thought it a quality presentation.

3.) Rules: The rulebook has nineteen pages, although some of them contain clues for the specific cases and the Inspector's notebook. They are very well done with tips for those who have played "vanilla" Clue before, so that they can recognize the differences. There is even a tutorial on the DVD to help first time players, although I found it for myself to be completely unnecessary. Everyone that I've taught the game to has picked it up easily - whether it be a teenager or adult, and the explanation of how to set up the cases is crystal clear.

4.) DVD: As I said, I was very wary of using a DVD in combination with a board game, as I find that one of the wonderful things about board games is that they draw a person AWAY from the TV. Yet I think that Clue DVD has the combination down rather well. The DVD is present and rather important, yet it doesn't detract from the board game but is rather an enhancer. It adds mood with the music, options, such as the butler that wouldn't be available with the basic game and just a bit of variety AND is a big way to attract people into playing the game. Besides, playing on a huge screen is rather impressive.

5.) Cases: One of the first comments of those I taught the game to was the fact that there are only ten arranged cases in the game. While that certainly is true, it is mitigated by the fact that there is a random general case that can be played. This random case is by no means as interesting as the ten set cases, but it does allow the game to have long replayability, and the basic game is STILL better than Clue. And even then, ten good games are still very impressive to me and certainly worth the money for the game.

6.) Better than Clue: One of the biggest improvements in the game is the movement system, in which players simply move from room to room, rather than rolling dice and hoping for high rolls. This greatly reduces the luck in the original game, eliminating a mechanic I found simply unworkable. Secret passageways have a bit of luck when using them, but players have the choice of whether or not they want to take that risk. Some games start with locks on doors, limiting their movement, an addition I found interesting but not entirely compelling. I also thought that the game was superior to Clue simply because the option pool was that much greater. Adding four new characters, several new locations, and a slew of times and items makes the game that much better and certainly higher on my deduction list. I'll never play Clue again, simply because this version is that much better.

7.) Fun Factor: The enjoyment of the game is summed up in the whole package. I love the little mini-games of observation that a player must do to look at certain item cards. I think the thrill of taking a secret tunnel is interesting. I enjoy how the Butler's and Inspector's clues can be used to solve the case but in a different fashion than the old method of making suggestions (which isn't a bad idea either). I've always liked the theme of Clue. Finally, the mechanics match up, and it's an excellent game.

If you have a DVD player (and most folk do), then I highly recommend that you pick up this version of Clue. It's very entertaining, yet offers some excellent deduction games, with streamlined yet advanced mechanics, and some bells and whistles - although not so many as to overwhelm the game. I'm curious to see if other board games will incorporate DVDs into their systems. If they can do it as well as Clue DVD game did, then we're certainly in for a treat!

Tom Vasel
"Real men play board games"
www.tomvasel.com