Customer Reviews

Clue Express

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was pleasantly surprised by this game, which manages to have the essence of the original Clue boiled down into a game that is transportable and easily played in 15-20 minutes. The game works best for three players but is also playable by four.

Once again, the usual Clue suspects are at it, committing their dastardly crime. The culprits' cards are placed in the envelope and the rest are dealt to the players. By process of elimination, players must determine which suspect was the brains of the operation? Which was the brawn? And which was the getaway driver? (There are 18 cards in the game - each of the six suspects as each of the three roles. One of each "role" is concealed in the envelope. It's entirely possible for one suspect to have more than one role in the crime.)

Gameplay consists of rolling four dice and making a suggestion based on two of the three "suspect dice." The remaining players get a chance to disprove one part of that suggestion. After that, the fourth "bonus die" determines a second action that occurs for that player - (s)he can make another free suggestion (this time not based on the dice), draw a card at random from someone else's hand to view it, ask a player about a particular suspect to see one of those cards, or look at the hole in the case file envelope, which reveals the identity of one of the three culprits (but not whether this suspect is the brains, brawn, or driver). The game continues with players taking such turns until someone has deduced the contents of the envelope.

The packaging boasts two ways to play this game. The above review describes the more complicated "Master Detective" game. In the "Detective" game, the getaway driver cards are set aside and only the brains and brawn need to be discovered.

The game "feels" like Clue but is more rapid-fire, with suggestions being made every turn, while the dice add just enough chance to the mix that there's an element of luck without being frustrating. It's certainly worth the 15 minutes it takes to try it out.

Clue Express is a mini travel edition of the classic Clue game. It's a very fun game at a good price. Having recently discovered these express versions from Hasbro, you can bet that I am going to put these to good use as stocking stuffers for the holidays. Scrabble Express was the first one I purchased before getting this Clue version, among others. When it comes to the best bang for your buck, it's hard to find a better value in games.

While I am a big fan of the SceneIt? Travel editions, such as Scene It? Movie Travel DVD Game, the good thing about these Express versions is that you don't need a portable DVD player or other tools in order to play them. On the flip side, you really cannot play this game alone. So while it's useful for a family or group on a road trip, it's perhaps not as ideal for a solo traveler.

The game is designed to allow you to play one of two shorter versions of Clue within 20 minutes. Game play for both versions is pretty simple. Pick some cards, roll the dice, and work your way around till you find the culprits. Even though this isn't a trivia game, I think that the critical thinking of piecing together the clues does have some educational value.

The included cards and dice are all you need to play and they come in a convenient travel container. I am personally not crazy about the durability of the game case. While it's made from a strong plastic, it's still plastic. It may not be as durable as perhaps the folio used with certain travel games like Yahtzee Folio.

The only real requirement is that you need somebody to play with. That and 15 to 20 minutes and you've got a game. This is one "express" version that fans of the classic game should have no problem enjoying.

I highly recommend this as a gift or a travel game for those family road trips.

Enjoy!!!

Great game. I got it for my 8th grade students to play during our mystery unit. It's quick and fun and I recommend it for kids and parents - good for travel I imagine although we have just played it at home and in the classroom.

I bought this for my grandkids for Christmas (ages 7 & 9) This version of Clue is a card game, and all the suspects, rooms, and weapons are on the cards, but they added some extras. You also have to figure out who planned the crime, who committed it and who drove the get-a-way car. It was a little confusing at first, as the instruction book is not perfectly clear, but after playing 1 game, we got it all sorted out and had a lot of fun. We're used to playing the regular CLue board game,which is sometimes tedious, since you keep getting moved to rooms you don't want to be in, so this was fun in a different way and definitely takes less time to play.

Purchased this as a gift to myself... Played it with three other people and found that the game really does NOT take 20 minutes or less to play. In fact, it takes about the same time as the regular board game. I still like the game though. It's different; with the object being (with the regular "Detective" version)to find out who was the Brains & Brawn of the crime. With the other "Master Detective" game play, they add The Driver to the play plot. There is no regular board, just a card to place the dice on...dice being used (3 with the Clue characters on them and one directional/instructional die), instead of the regular character token & weapon pieces. Since the dice ARE the focus of the game play, more luck, then stategy is involved, with THIS version of the game. I still like the Classic Clue game. But, as an alternative (for Mystery/Detective game buffs, like myself), I'd recommend it.

This isn't your typical Clue game. But it's still fun. There are two ways to play it. The easiest being the Detective Game(basic play) in the Master Game you have to find out who was behind the crime, he actually did it and who drove the get away car.

If you are a Clue game collector get this one.

Really neat for travel. Compact and great design, plus reasonable price. What more can you want?

My bright 9-year-old granddaughter and I enjoyed playing this game but found the directions confusing at first. Other relatives later joined in but felt the board game itself to be more entertaining; however, there was some educational value to logging in "clues" about categories, clues that were sometimes harder to come by than in the full game set. The compact nature of the pieces adds to the usability in situations with limited space. Clue Express