Clue (known as Cluedo outside of North America) is arguably one of the most well known board games of all time. Originally created by Anthony E Pratt and his wife Elva Pratt in 1944, Clue did not make it to market until 1949 when it was first released by Waddingtons and Parker Brothers. While there are mixed opinions about the game today, Clue deserves credit as one of the first deduction board games ever created. The game was so influential that you can still see its influences on deduction games to this very day.

Despite being over 70 years old at this point, Clue’s gameplay has stayed the same for the most part. The goal of the game is to figure out which suspect killed Mr. Boddy, in what room they did the deed, and what was the murder weapon. Players move around the board asking the other players about the cards they hold in their hands in order to figure out which three cards are not held by any of the players. The first player to solve the case wins the game.

For the most part Clue’s gameplay has stayed the same but there have been a few changes to the formula throughout the years. Most of these changes have had to deal with changing or adding weapons or suspects. There have also been a couple versions that have slightly altered the gameboard either changing the rooms or making the board smaller to speed up the game. The biggest change to the formula came in 2008 when Clue Discover the Secrets was released. This version of the game differs from the original game in two major ways. It added special abilities for each character and added the idea of intrigue cards which were later adapted by a lot of the themed Clue games. For more information on Clue Discover the Secrets see below. These changes seemed to be kind of unpopular as outside of the themed games, the series has mostly abandoned them.

As almost everyone has played Clue at some point, I wanted to instead talk about some of the spinoff and themed Clue games that have been released over the years. I have broken the games into a couple sections. The themed games section are games that play similarly to the original game and either have a different theme, components, or slight rule changes/additions. The other sections detail games that actually change up the Clue formula in some noticeable way.

I tried to make this list as comprehensive as possible. I likely missed some games though. If there are any Clue games that you know that I am missing please leave a comment and I will add them to the list.

Themed Games

Clue: 1949 Classic Reproduction | Amazon

| Amazon Clue: 24 Edition (2009) – Adds intrigue cards and special abilities. | Amazon

(2009) – Adds intrigue cards and special abilities. | Amazon Clue: 50th Anniversary Edition (1999) – Adds the poison weapon from Clue Master Detective to the original game. | Amazon

(1999) – Adds the poison weapon from Clue Master Detective to the original game. | Amazon Clue: Alfred Hitchcock (1999) | Amazon

(1999) | Amazon Clue: Alien Vs. Predator (2016) – Adds intrigue cards and special abilities. | Amazon

(2016) – Adds intrigue cards and special abilities. | Amazon Clue: Basic Fun Keychain | Amazon

Amazon Clue: The Big Bang Theory (2013) – Adds intrigue cards and special abilities. | Amazon

(2013) – Adds intrigue cards and special abilities. | Amazon Clue: Bob’s Burgers (2018) | Amazon

| Amazon Clue: Bookshelf Game | Amazon

| Amazon Clue: Chocolate Edition – Most of the pieces are made out of chocolate. | Amazon

– Most of the pieces are made out of chocolate. | Amazon Clue: Detective Conan The Secret of the Lost Treasure (2003) – The game has two unique spaces around the gameboard. Clue spaces allow players to draw a clue chip which are used to make guesses/accusations. Event spaces force players to take a card and follow the instructions on the card. | eBay

(2003) – The game has two unique spaces around the gameboard. Clue spaces allow players to draw a clue chip which are used to make guesses/accusations. Event spaces force players to take a card and follow the instructions on the card. | eBay Clue: Doctor Who (2015) – Adds intrigue cards and special abilities. | Amazon

(2015) – Adds intrigue cards and special abilities. | Amazon Clue: Downton Abbey (2015) | Amazon

(2015) | Amazon Clue: Dungeons and Dragons (2001) – Adds a mechanic where players occasionally have to fight a monster by rolling the die. If the player defeats the monster they get a special ability that they can use once in the game. | Amazon

(2001) – Adds a mechanic where players occasionally have to fight a monster by rolling the die. If the player defeats the monster they get a special ability that they can use once in the game. | Amazon Clue: Dungeons and Dragons (2019) | Amazon

(2019) | Amazon Clue: Family Guy (2010) | Amazon

(2010) | Amazon Clue: Firefly Edition (2014) – Adds intrigue cards and special abilities. | Amazon

(2014) – Adds intrigue cards and special abilities. | Amazon Clue: Five Nights at Freddy’s (2018) | Amazon

(2018) | Amazon Clue: Fun on the Run | Amazon

Amazon Clue: Game of Thrones (2016) – Adds intrigue cards and a double sided board which allows you to solve the mystery in one of two locations. | Amazon

(2016) – Adds intrigue cards and a double sided board which allows you to solve the mystery in one of two locations. | Amazon Clue: Golden Girls (2017) | Amazon

(2017) | Amazon Clue: Grab and Go (2014) | Amazon

(2014) | Amazon Clue: Harry Potter (2008) – Includes a board where doors occasionally open and close. It also includes a dark mark mechanic which can lead to players losing house points if they don’t have the appropriate help card. If a player loses all of their house points they are eliminated from the game. This version is not the same as Clue: World of Harry Potter. | Amazon

(2008) – Includes a board where doors occasionally open and close. It also includes a dark mark mechanic which can lead to players losing house points if they don’t have the appropriate help card. If a player loses all of their house points they are eliminated from the game. This version is not the same as Clue: World of Harry Potter. | Amazon Clue: The Haunted Mansion (2002) | Amazon

(2002) | Amazon Clue: IT (2019) | Amazon

(2019) | Amazon Clue: Juicy Couture (2000) | Amazon

(2000) | Amazon Clue: Legend of Zelda (2017) – Adds intrigue cards and special abilities. | Amazon

(2017) – Adds intrigue cards and special abilities. | Amazon Clue: Limited Gift Edition (1997) – Comes with the poisoned chalice weapon and other premium components. | Amazon

(1997) – Comes with the poisoned chalice weapon and other premium components. | Amazon Clue: Library Classic | Amazon

| Amazon Clue: Linen Book | Amazon

| Amazon Clue: Lost in Vegas (2018) – An adult themed version of the original game. In the game all of the characters had a big party weekend in Vegas. Your friend Buddy has gone missing and no one has a memory of what happened last night. You need to find the last person to see Buddy, where he was last seen, and what he was doing. Other than the theme change the game also has a time mechanic where players have to solve the mystery within a given amount of time. | Amazon

(2018) – An adult themed version of the original game. In the game all of the characters had a big party weekend in Vegas. Your friend Buddy has gone missing and no one has a memory of what happened last night. You need to find the last person to see Buddy, where he was last seen, and what he was doing. Other than the theme change the game also has a time mechanic where players have to solve the mystery within a given amount of time. | Amazon Clue and Monopoly Plus 6 Games | Amazon

| Amazon Clue: North Pole Holiday Edition | Amazon

| Amazon Clue: Nostalgia Edition | Amazon

Amazon Clue: The Office (2009) – Adds intrigue cards and special abilities. | Amazon

(2009) – Adds intrigue cards and special abilities. | Amazon Clue: Penny Dreadful (2015) | Amazon

(2015) | Amazon Clue: Rick and Morty Back in Blackout (2017) – Adds intrigue cards and special abilities. | Amazon

(2017) – Adds intrigue cards and special abilities. | Amazon Clue: Riverdale (2018) – Adds intrigue cards and personality cards. | Amazon

(2018) – Adds intrigue cards and personality cards. | Amazon Clue: Road Trip Series

Clue: Rustic Series (2020) | Amazon

(2020) | Amazon Clue: Silver Line | Amazon

| Amazon Clue: Scooby-Doo! (2019) – Add personality and ? cards. | Amazon

(2019) – Add personality and ? cards. | Amazon Clue: Scooby-Doo! Where Are You? (2002) | Amazon

(2002) | Amazon Clue: Seinfeld (2009) | Amazon

(2009) | Amazon Clue: Sherlock (2012) | Amazon

(2012) | Amazon Clue: Simpsons (2000) | Amazon

(2000) | Amazon Clue: Snap-on | eBay

| eBay Clue: Star Wars (2016) – Adds intrigue cards. There is also a jail mechanic that you can get stuck in until someone lets you out in exchange for you showing them one of your cards. | Amazon

(2016) – Adds intrigue cards. There is also a jail mechanic that you can get stuck in until someone lets you out in exchange for you showing them one of your cards. | Amazon Clue: Supernatural (2014) – Adds intrigue cards and special abilities. | Amazon

(2014) – Adds intrigue cards and special abilities. | Amazon Clue: Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (2016) – Adds intrigue cards and special abilities. | Amazon

(2016) – Adds intrigue cards and special abilities. | Amazon Clue: The Twilight Zone – Tower of Terror (2007) – Slightly alters the design of the gameboard. | Amazon

(2007) – Slightly alters the design of the gameboard. | Amazon Clue: Vintage Collection Wooden Box Edition (2005) | Amazon

(2005) | Amazon Clue: The Walking Dead (2017) – Adds intrigue cards and special abilities. | Amazon

(2017) – Adds intrigue cards and special abilities. | Amazon Clue: Winning Solutions English Luxury Edition (2015) – Includes a 3D gameboard and other high quality components. | Amazon

(2015) – Includes a 3D gameboard and other high quality components. | Amazon Clue: World of Harry Potter (2011) – Adds a board that will occasionally open and close doors/fireplaces. Players also have to acquire help cards to defend against the dark mark. Players can also use floo powder to immediately teleport to any lit fireplace on the gameboard. This version is different from Clue: Harry Potter. | Our Review | Amazon

(2011) – Adds a board that will occasionally open and close doors/fireplaces. Players also have to acquire help cards to defend against the dark mark. Players can also use floo powder to immediately teleport to any lit fireplace on the gameboard. This version is different from Clue: Harry Potter. | Our Review | Amazon Cluedo: After Dinner Mint Edition “Death by Indulgence” (1997) – A simplified Clue/Cluedo that has less rooms than the original game. Each room has a chocolate placed on it at the beginning of the game. The first player to visit that room gets to eat the chocolate. | eBay

(1997) – A simplified Clue/Cluedo that has less rooms than the original game. Each room has a chocolate placed on it at the beginning of the game. The first player to visit that room gets to eat the chocolate. | eBay Cluedo: Asterix und die Normannen (2007) | eBay

(2007) | eBay Cluedo: Chocolate Edition (2007) – Plays like normal clue except that the cards are replaced with chocolates. The player who wins the game gets to decide how the chocolates are distributed at the end of the game. | Amazon

(2007) – Plays like normal clue except that the cards are replaced with chocolates. The player who wins the game gets to decide how the chocolates are distributed at the end of the game. | Amazon Cluedo: Doctor Who – The Hunt for Gallifrey (2015) | Amazon

(2015) | Amazon Cluedo: Die drei ??? (2013) | eBay

(2013) | eBay Cluedo: Magnetic Pocket Edition (1989) – Includes a magnetic board and pieces so the game can be played in the car. | eBay

(1989) – Includes a magnetic board and pieces so the game can be played in the car. | eBay Cluedo: Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries | eBay

| eBay Cluedo: Nostalgia Edition (2011) – A recreation of the 1949 version of Cluedo. | eBay

(2011) – A recreation of the 1949 version of Cluedo. | eBay Vitmo Cluedo (2008) – Created to celebrate the 100th birthday of Vitmo. | eBay

Spinoff Games

Clue Discover the Secrets | Clue Secrets in Paris

Year : 2008 | 2009

: 2008 | 2009 Publisher : Hasbro, Parker Brothers

: Hasbro, Parker Brothers Designer : Rob Daviau, Anthony E. Pratt

: Rob Daviau, Anthony E. Pratt Genre : Deduction

: Deduction Number of Players : 3-6

: 3-6 Age Recommendation : 9+

: 9+ Where Can You Purchase: Amazon (Discover the Secrets) , Amazon (Secrets in Paris)

Description: Clue Discover the Secrets follows all of the rules of the original Clue with a couple additions. First each player will choose a character that has a special ability that can be used once in the game. The game also includes intrigue cards. When a player rolls or lands on a “?” they have to draw an intrigue card. Some of these intrigue cards give players extra actions and others do nothing (clock cards). When the eighth clock card has been drawn, the player who draws it or any subsequent clock cards are eliminated from the game.

Clue Secrets in Paris is basically the same game as Clue Discover the Secrets except that is it gauged more towards children and teenagers. In the game you have to figure out who stole the piece of artwork, with what tool, and where they hid it.

Clue Express

Year : 2008

: 2008 Publisher : Hasbro, Parker Brothers

: Hasbro, Parker Brothers Designer : Garrett J. Donner, Wendy L. Harris, Brian S. Spence, Michael S. Steer

: Garrett J. Donner, Wendy L. Harris, Brian S. Spence, Michael S. Steer Genre: Deduction, Dice

Deduction, Dice Number of Players : 3-4

: 3-4 Age Recommendation : 8+

: 8+ Where Can You Purchase: Amazon

Description: Clue Express takes the original Clue game and streamlines it while also adding in a dice component. Instead of a weapon, suspect and location; in Clue Express you need to determine the brains, the brawn and the getaway driver for the murder. Players begin their turn by rolling the dice. Three of the dice picture suspects and the player can pick two of them to ask about. The other players have to answer if they have the corresponding card. The fourth die then gives the player another clue. The first player to guess the three correct suspects wins the game.

Clue FX

Year : 2003

: 2003 Publisher : Hasbro

: Hasbro Designer : Craig Van Ness

: Craig Van Ness Genre: Deduction

Deduction Number of Players : 2-4

: 2-4 Age Recommendation : 8+

: 8+ Where Can You Purchase: Amazon

Description: Clue FX takes most of the gameplay from the original Clue and adds in the electronic component. Instead of rolling the dice and moving, players can choose to move to whichever room they prefer. Each suspect in the game (not controlled by a player) holds their own clue card. The location of each suspect is secret and players need to find a suspect in order to look at their card. At the end of a player’s turn they can either make an accusation or search. The search feature allows players to find additional suspects and also moves the suspects to different spaces on the board. In order to solve the case, players need to find the detective (who is hidden) and then make their accusation like in the normal Clue.

Clue The Great Museum Caper

Year : 1991

: 1991 Publisher : Parker Brothers

: Parker Brothers Designer : John LaBelle, Dave Rabideau, Thomas Rabideau

: John LaBelle, Dave Rabideau, Thomas Rabideau Artist : Tim Hildebrandt

: Tim Hildebrandt Genre: Cooperative, Deduction

Cooperative, Deduction Number of Players : 2-4

: 2-4 Age Recommendation : 10+

: 10+ Where Can You Purchase: Amazon

Description: Clue The Great Museum Caper is one of the Clue spinoff games that share very little in common with the original game outside of the theme/characters. In Clue The Great Museum Caper one player will play as the thief and the rest of the players act as the detectives. The thief attempts to steal as many paintings as possible and then escape the mansion without being caught. This is all done while the thief’s movements are hidden from the other players. The other players move around the gameboard and use their special abilities trying to find the thief and capture them before they escape.

Mini Review: As it shares next to nothing in common with the original game it is hard to judge Clue The Great Museum Caper against the original game. A more appropriate comparison would be with the game Scotland Yard. While there are other games with a similar concept, if you have never played one of these type of games before it is an interesting concept. It is fun having one player secretively moving around the board while all of the other players try to catch them. It is particularly fun playing as the thief as you can see how close the other players come to catching you and you can trick them into thinking you are in a completely different part of the board. The problem is that it is much more enjoyable playing as the thief and it is also quite easy to escape without being caught. For more information check out my full review.

Clue Master Detective

Year : 1988

: 1988 Publisher : Hasbro, Parker Brothers

: Hasbro, Parker Brothers Artist : Tim Hildebrandt

: Tim Hildebrandt Genre : Deduction

: Deduction Number of Players : 3-10

: 3-10 Age Recommendation : 8+

: 8+ Where Can You Purchase: Amazon

Description: Clue Master Detective is very similar to the original Clue. Clue Master Detective adds more suspects, weapons and locations to the game making the mystery more difficult. The other new mechanic are “snoop” spaces. When a player lands or moves through a snoop space they get to look at one of the other player’s cards.

Mini Review: Outside of being rarer and thus more expensive than the original Clue, I see no reason why I would ever play the original Clue and Clue Master Detective is better in basically every way. There are more suspects, weapons, and locations which makes the mystery more challenging and thus more entertaining. Basically I like to think of Clue Master Detective as advanced Clue. If you like Clue and would like a more challenging mystery, I would highly recommend looking at Clue Master Detective. For more information read my full review.

Clue Mysteries

Year : 2005

: 2005 Publisher : Hasbro, Parker Brothers

: Hasbro, Parker Brothers Designer : Michelle Duval

: Michelle Duval Genre: Deduction

Deduction Number of Players : 2-6

: 2-6 Age Recommendation : 8+

: 8+ Where Can You Purchase: Amazon

Description: Clue Mysteries is generally regarded as the prequel to the original Clue (story wise) but has very little to do with the original’s gameplay. In Clue Mysteries you will solve 50 different crimes around the village of Hampshire. Each time you play the game you will play a different case. The main gameplay of Clue Mysteries has you rolling dice and moving around the board to find clues. Once you have solved the case you can submit your answer and if you are correct you will win the game.

Clue Secrets & Spies

Year : 2009

: 2009 Publisher : Hasbro

: Hasbro Genre : Deduction

: Deduction Number of Players : 2-6

: 2-6 Age Recommendation : 9+

: 9+ Where Can You Purchase: Amazon

Description: Clue Secrets & Spies is another spinoff game that mostly just takes the theme from the original Clue. In the game each player is given a secret identity. On a player’s turn they can choose any agent in the game and perform an action with them. The objective of the game is to score points which is done by having one agent control the two items on your current mission card. The players can also score points by getting certain agents to specific locations. As players can move any agent, players can score points by missions they complete along with missions completed by their secret identity. The player who ends up scoring the most points wins the game.

Guess Who? Clue

Year : 2019

: 2019 Publisher : Hasbro

: Hasbro Genre: Deduction

Deduction Number of Players : 2

: 2 Age Recommendation : 8+

: 8+ Where Can You Purchase: Amazon

Description: In 2019 Hasbro created a line of board games called “Game Mashups”. The basic premise of this line of games was to combine two popular board games into a single board game. Guess Who? Clue not surprisingly combines Guess Who? and Clue. In theory this actually makes sense as both games are deduction games. Basically the game takes the characters, weapons and locations from Clue and adds them to a game of Guess Who?. Each player is given a gameboard which includes all of the characters, weapons and locations. One card from each category is set aside to determine the solution to the crime. Players must ask yes or no questions about the other player’s cards to help figure out the solution to the crime. Depending on the answer given a player may get to draw an evidence card which will give them additional information about the crime.

Travel Clue

Year : 1990

: 1990 Publisher : Hasbro, Parker Brothers, Waddington’s Games Inc.

: Hasbro, Parker Brothers, Waddington’s Games Inc. Genre: Deduction

Deduction Number of Players : 2-6

: 2-6 Age Recommendation : 8+

: 8+ Where Can You Purchase: Amazon

Description: In Travel Clue two cards are placed in each room. Players begin their turn by visiting one of the rooms and looking at one of the cards on that room. They can then ask one of the other players if they have seen the card for a specific room, weapon or suspect. The player will answer with yes or no. If the player answers with a yes, they get to ask another question. The first player to guess the correct room, weapon, and suspect wins the game.

Clue Junior

With how successful the original game was, it is not surprising that a children’s version of the Clue would eventually be created. It is kind of surprising that it took forty years for a children’s version to be created though as the first children’s Clue game was created in 1989. Since then there have been nine different games created for the Clue Junior line.

Clue Carnival – The Case of the Missing Prizes

Year : 2009

: 2009 Publisher : Hasbro, Parker Brothers

: Hasbro, Parker Brothers Designer : Charles Phillips

: Charles Phillips Genre: Children’s, Deduction

Children’s, Deduction Number of Players : 2-5

: 2-5 Age Recommendation : 5+

: 5+ Where Can You Purchase: Amazon

Description: Clue Carnival The Case of the Missing Prizes actually includes two different game variations with one for younger children and another for older children. In the game you roll the dice and move around the board to find clues about who, when and where the prizes were taken. After each player has taken a turn, the players get a chance to guess at the solution by placing guess tokens into the corresponding spots of the gameboard. Whichever player makes the most correct guesses throughout the game wins.

Clue Jr. The Case of the Hidden Toys | Clue Jr. The Pirate Treasure Hunt

Year : 1996 | 2000

: 1996 | 2000 Publisher : Hasbro, Parker Brothers, USAopoly

: Hasbro, Parker Brothers, USAopoly Genre: Children’s, Deduction

Children’s, Deduction Number of Players : 2-4

: 2-4 Age Recommendation : 5+

: 5+ Where Can You Purchase: Amazon

Description: Like the rest of the Clue Jr. line of games, The Case of the Hidden Toys simplifies the original gameplay. Players need to figure which pet took which toy. The players roll a die and move around the board in order to find clues. Players look under the bases on the pawns which show pets and toys that are not the final solution. The die also has a couple special symbols which give you special abilities.

Clue Jr. The Pirate Treasure Hunt is played in basically the same way as The Case of the Hidden Toys except that it uses a pirate theme. The players need to figure out which pirate hid their treasure inside the treasure chest.

Clue Junior: The Case of the Broken Toy | Clue Jr. The Case of the Missing Cake | Clue Jr. Spongebob Squarepants The Case of the Missing Jellyfish Net

Description: Instead of finding the murderer the players have to discover who ate the cake. The game is streamlined where the clues are on the pawn bases instead of on cards. Players roll a die. If they roll a color face they can look under a pawn stand of the same color. If the player rolls a number they can move around the board and can look at a stand based on what space they land on.

Spongebob Squarepants The Case of the Missing Jellyfish Net is basically the same game except that it has the Spongebob Squarepants theme. Players need to figure out who stole the net, when they stole it, and where they left it.

Clue Jr. The Case of the Missing Glasses

Year : 2004

: 2004 Publisher : Hasbro

: Hasbro Genre: Children’s, Deduction

Children’s, Deduction Number of Players : 2

: 2 Age Recommendation : 5+

: 5+ Where Can You Purchase: Amazon

Description: Clue Jr. The Case of the Missing Glasses is a game that is housed inside a book. The book contains five different boards. The players spin the spinner and move their playing piece around the gameboard to gather clue cards. The first player to solve the case wins the game.

Clue Jr. The Case of the Missing Pet

Year : 1989

: 1989 Publisher : Parker Brothers

: Parker Brothers Genre: Children’s, Deduction

Children’s, Deduction Number of Players : 1-6

: 1-6 Age Recommendation : 6+

: 6+ Where Can You Purchase: Amazon

Description: In Clue Jr. The Case of the Missing Pet you need to figure out what pet was taken, who took the pet and where they are hiding it. The game uses a wheel that you turn to select the case that you want to play. Players roll the dice and move around the board the corresponding number of spaces. They will then follow the directions on the space they land on. You will occasionally land on spaces which allow you to look at a clue on the board using the red magnifying glass. In order to figure out the suspect you will get clues about their eye and hair color and whether they are smiling. You will use these clues along with their pictures on the playing pieces to determine who did it. The location where the pet is being hidden is determined by the type of flooring and the sign color. The first player to solve the case wins the game.

Clue Jr. Travel Game

Year : 1994

: 1994 Publisher : Parker Brothers

: Parker Brothers Genre: Children’s, Deduction

Children’s, Deduction Number of Players : 2-4

: 2-4 Age Recommendation : 5+

: 5+ Where Can You Purchase: Amazon

Description: A travel version of Clue Jr. In the game players can play one of 16 mysteries where you are trying to figure out which child is hiding a pet and in what room. Players start their turn by spinning the spinner and moving around the board. Landing on particular spaces will reveal a clue which will help you ultimately solve the mystery. The first player to solve the case wins the game.

Clue Little Detective

Year : 1992

: 1992 Publisher : Parker Brothers

: Parker Brothers Genre: Children’s, Deduction

Children’s, Deduction Number of Players : 2-4

: 2-4 Age Recommendation : 3+

: 3+ Where Can You Purchase: Amazon

Description: Clue Little Detective is a Clue game made for preschoolers. The game actually has very little to do with Clue as it plays more like Candyland than Clue. The objective of the game is to get from the attic to the front door. Players take turns drawing cards. These cards will either show a color or picture. The players will move their piece to the next space featuring that color/picture. The first player to reach the front door wins the game.

Card Games

As it is quite common to create card game versions of popular board games, it does not surprise me that Clue has had a couple different card games created over the years. It especially makes sense as the board itself is one of the worst things about Clue as you waste a bunch of time moving around the mansion. The Clue card games keep the deduction mechanics of the game while eliminating the movement mechanics which speeds up the game.

Clue the Card Game

Year : 2002

: 2002 Publisher : Hasbro, Winning Moves Games

: Hasbro, Winning Moves Games Designer : Phil Orbanes Sr

: Phil Orbanes Sr Genre: Card, Deduction

Card, Deduction Number of Players : 3-5

: 3-5 Age Recommendation : 8+

: 8+ Where Can You Purchase: Amazon

Description: In Clue The Card Game the players have to figure out who the murderer is, their getaway vehicle and their destination. Three cards are set aside and the rest of the cards are dealt out. Each player will also have a destination token which indicates their current location. Players begin their turn by drawing an action card and then choosing between their two action cards which will determine their action for the turn. Players will make accusations and if another player holds the corresponding card they have to reveal the card to the player making the accusation. The first player to correctly solve the case wins the game.

Clue the Card Game – Mystery at Sea

Year : 2009

: 2009 Publisher : Winning Moves Games

: Winning Moves Games Genre: Card, Deduction

Card, Deduction Number of Players : 3-5

: 3-5 Age Recommendation : 8+

: 8+ Where Can You Purchase: Amazon

Description: Clue the Card Game – Mystery at Sea is similar to the original card game but has a few slight diferences. The game eliminates the board and dice rolling entirely. Instead players draw action cards and choose one to play which gives them their action for the turn. Some of these action cards let you make a guess while others give you another special action. All of the suspects, weapons and locations are arranged into groups which come into play for some of the action cards. Otherwise the game plays like the original Clue as you make suggestions to gather information and one player eventually solves the case.

Clue Suspect | Cluedo Shuffle

Year : 2010

: 2010 Publisher : Hasbro, Parker Brothers, Winning Moves Games

: Hasbro, Parker Brothers, Winning Moves Games Genre: Card, Deduction

Card, Deduction Number of Players : 3-4

: 3-4 Age Recommendation : 8+

: 8+ Where Can You Purchase: Amazon

Description: Clue Suspect is basically what you would get if you took the original game and took out everything except for the deduction mechanic. Instead of wasting time moving around the board, players take turns asking whether the other players have one of two cards. If a player has one of the cards they must show it to the asking player. Players keep track of which cards they know are in the game by setting aside the corresponding case file card. When a player thinks they have solved the case they put the three case file cards corresponding to their guess on the table and if they are right they win the game.

Mini Review: As I already mentioned Clue Suspect is basically a very streamlined version of Clue. Instead of wasting your time with the other more tedious mechanics, you can spend the entire game trying to figure out what cards the other players have in their hands. In some ways I really liked this as Clue is a game that needed some streamlining. This makes the game play quite a bit quicker while also making the game a lot more portable. This simplicity comes at a cost though as the mystery itself is not that difficult as there are less options in the game. It also feels like there is just something missing from the game. If you are looking for a more streamlined and portable game, it may be worth looking into Clue Suspect. For more information check out our full review of Clue Suspect.

Multimedia

The board game industry has always had a fascination with trying to find ways to utilize the newest technology in new games. In the 1980s and early 1990s there were a surprisingly high number of games that utilized VHS tapes. In the 2000s every company was making games that utilized DVDs. Well the Clue franchise fell for both fads as two Clue VHS games and one Clue DVD game were made. I typically wouldn’t see Clue as being the type of game that would need multimedia components but these Clue games actually tried to use the technology to create a unique experience.

Clue DVD Game

Year : 2006

: 2006 Publisher : Hasbro, Parker Brothers

: Hasbro, Parker Brothers Designer : Rob Daviau

: Rob Daviau Genre: Audio/Visual, Deduction

Audio/Visual, Deduction Number of Players : 3-5

: 3-5 Age Recommendation : 10+

: 10+ Where Can You Purchase: Amazon

Description: The most obvious difference between the Clue DVD Game and the original game is the inclusion of the DVD. The game also includes a fourth thing that you have to figure out: the time of the crime. The DVD includes 10 preset cases where only the DVD knows the solution to the case. This allows players to make incorrect guesses and remain in the game. Instead of rolling the dice to move, players can choose to move to a neighboring location. Other then moving players can choose another action to perform on their turn. These actions give players different pieces of information needed to solve the case.

Clue VCR Mystery Game

Year : 1985

: 1985 Publisher : Parker Brothers, Waddington’s Games Inc

: Parker Brothers, Waddington’s Games Inc Designer : Ed Buffman, Hy Conrad, Isabel Garrett, Phil Orbanes Sr.

: Ed Buffman, Hy Conrad, Isabel Garrett, Phil Orbanes Sr. Genre: Audio/Visual, Deduction

Audio/Visual, Deduction Number of Players : 2-10

: 2-10 Age Recommendation : 13+

: 13+ Where Can You Purchase: Amazon

Description: The Clue VCR game actually differs quite a bit from the original Clue. The board has been removed entirely as the game is played with cards and the VHS tape. Each player is given a secret identity which will be used throughout the game. The players will choose one of the cases and will watch a couple scenes from the VHS tape. After each scene is played each player has to give one clue from the scene about their secret identity. Players are then able to play cards which help them gather more information about the crime. Between watching the scenes and using their cards, players gather information about the crime.

Clue II VCR Mystery Game

Year : 1987

: 1987 Publisher : Parker Brothers

: Parker Brothers Designer : Isabel Garrett, Sam Kjellman

: Isabel Garrett, Sam Kjellman Genre: Audio/Visual, Deduction

Audio/Visual, Deduction Number of Players : 2-6

: 2-6 Age Recommendation : 13+

: 13+ Where Can You Purchase: Amazon

Description: Clue II VCR Mystery Game is the sequel to the first Clue VCR game. As it is a sequel to the original game it does keep most of the mechanics from the original game. There are only three main differences between the two games. Obviously the game uses a different VHS tape which means you have new cases to solve. There are some changes in the type of questions that you can ask about the other players identity. Also instead of choosing a card to perform an action you can choose whichever action you prefer.

Clue Puzzles

One of the stranger additions to the Clue franchise were the Clue Puzzles which were created in the 1990s. This line of puzzles took your typical jigsaw puzzle and added in a mystery. Each puzzle presents you with a case and background information. You then have to put the puzzle together in order to get the clues that are needed to solve the case. For the most part these puzzles are kind of stretching the Clue theme as their only connection to the original game is the characters. The puzzle line was at least somewhat successful though as a total of ten Clue puzzles were created which include:

The Color of Murder | Amazon

The Curse of Bledmore Mansion | Amazon

Death Foretold | Amazon

Framed for Murder | Amazon

A Ghostly Murder | Amazon

To Kill A Dying Man | Amazon

Killer on Board | Amazon

The Masquerade Murder | Amazon

A Merry Little Murder | Amazon

Sounds Like A Robbery | Amazon

Europe Exclusives

While Clue is popular in the United States, it is arguably even more popular outside of the United States (where it is known as Cluedo). This has lead to a surprising number of Cluedo spinoff games that have never made it outside of Europe. Some of these games have some interesting mechanics so I am unsure why they were never brought to North America.

Cluedo Card Game

Year : 1990

: 1990 Publisher : Waddington’s Games Inc, Winning Moves UK

: Waddington’s Games Inc, Winning Moves UK Genre: Card

Card Number of Players : 2-4

: 2-4 Age Recommendation : 8+

: 8+ Where Can You Purchase: eBay

Description: Despite having basically the same name, the Cluedo Card Game shares very little in common with the Clue Card Game or even the original Clue. This card game actually plays more like a traditional card game as it reminds me a lot of UNO. Players are trying to get rid of all of the cards from their hand. In order to get rid of cards they have to match the card currently on top of the discard pile. The game also has a few special weapon cards which can change the gameplay.

Cluedo Party: Tudor Mansion Edition

Year : 2007

: 2007 Publisher : Hasbro

: Hasbro Designer : Amanda Birkinshaw, Katharine Chapman

: Amanda Birkinshaw, Katharine Chapman Genre: Deduction, Party

Deduction, Party Number of Players : 6-8

: 6-8 Age Recommendation : 15+

: 15+ Where Can You Purchase: eBay

Description: Cluedo Party: Tudor Mansion Edition is an attempt for Hasbro to create a line of “host-a-murder-party” games. The game has each player play as one of the characters. The players have to figure out the mystery by trying to get information out of the other players. The game includes two different mysteries.

Cluedo Super Sleuth

Year : 1995

: 1995 Publisher : Hasbro, Waddington’s Games Inc

: Hasbro, Waddington’s Games Inc Designer : Anthony E Pratt

: Anthony E Pratt Genre: Deduction

Deduction Number of Players : 2-6

: 2-6 Age Recommendation : 10+

: 10+ Where Can You Purchase: eBay

Description: Cluedo Super Sleuth takes a lot of the gameplay from the original Cluedo/Clue and tweaks a few of the mechanics while adding some additional mechanics. Instead of having a normal gameboard, you use a group of tiles which get added when a player enters a new room. Instead of being dealt clue cards at the beginning of the game, players have to land on specific spaces which allow them to draw one of the clue cards. The game also has item cards which give you a special ability that you can use on one of your turns. There are also neutral playing pieces which can be used to block other players movement. Finally there are event cards that occasionally impact the game.

Junior Cluedo

Year : 1993

: 1993 Publisher : Waddington’s Games Inc

: Waddington’s Games Inc Genre: Children’s, Deduction

Children’s, Deduction Number of Players : 2-6

: 2-6 Age Recommendation : 12+

: 12+ Where Can You Purchase: eBay

Description: Outside of the theme, Junior Cluedo does not share much in common with the original game. Players move around the gameboard entering rooms to look at clue cards. These clue cards are used to find which three rooms the ghosts are hiding in. Some cards force players to move to different parts of the board and some switch the location of cards. The first player to find the three rooms with ghost cards in them will win the game.

Super Cluedo Challenge | Cluedo Passport to Murder

Year : 1986

: 1986 Publisher : Waddington’s Games Inc

: Waddington’s Games Inc Genre: Deduction

Deduction Number of Players : 2-9

: 2-9 Age Recommendation : 8+

: 8+ Where Can You Purchase: eBay (Super Cluedo Challenge) , eBay (Cluedo Passport to Murder)

Description: Super Cluedo Challenge takes the original Clue game and adds clue tokens to the gameboard. When a player moves to a space that contains a clue token, they read out the number which indicates what action the player will then take. These actions could include taking a clue card from the draw pile (the cards aren’t dealt out like normal Clue) or another player, letting a player look under a flap or telling players to race towards a space on the board with the first player that arrives getting to draw a special card. Unlike other versions of Clue, players are unable to ask other players about cards that they hold in their hand.

Cluedo Passport to Murder is basically the same game as Super Cluedo Challenge but with a different theme.