Cluedo which is also known simply as Clue in the US is a classic game. It is the quintessential murder mystery set in a mansion with a cast of colourful characters. Players must deduce who the murderer was by collecting information in a process of elimination. The game spawned a franchise and there have been various spin offs and computer game versions as well as television shows and even a movie.

The game itself draws on a rich tradition of murder mystery tales from writers like Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. These stories often start with a dead body being discovered and the detective, whether Miss Marple or Sherlock Holmes, has to interview the suspects and deduce the guilty party. The game takes this simple premise and asks the player to work out who murdered the victim, where they did it and what weapon they used.

Cluedo was devised by a man named Anthony E. Pratt. He was a part time clown and a solicitor’s clerk in his day job and his game was first published by Waddingtons in 1949. Waddingtons was eventually acquired by Parker Brothers who were in turn acquired by Hasbro. The name Cluedo was a play on the fact that Ludo was a very popular game in the UK. Since it wasn’t as well known in the US the name there was changed to just Clue.

At the start of each game three cards are chosen at random and placed in an envelope in the middle of the board without anyone being allowed to see them. There are six characters in the game, six murder weapons and nine different rooms so in total the number of possible permutations is 324. However players start with three cards which allow them to eliminate people, weapons or places from their investigation. They must be in a room in order to name it as a possible murder location and if any of the other players have cards that disprove it then they have to show them. Any cards the player sees allow them to eliminate that room, weapon or person. When they think they know the answer they guess and if no one can disprove it then they check the hidden cards. If they are right they win, if they are wrong they are eliminated from the game.

There is little opportunity for strategy in Cluedo, you move around based on dice rolls and collect cards as quickly as possible. You can block other players from entering doors but beyond that it is largely a game of chance. There are a couple of sneaky tactics open to you. You can find the character and weapon more quickly by going to a room you already have and making guesses. The game is also often spoiled at the end, when two players know the solution and are racing to the room, the one lagging behind can keep accusing the other and moving them back to the room they are in. This provokes an irritating stalemate.

It is best with three to six players and one of the good things about the game is that it seldom lasts longer than 45 minutes.