Talking Clue FX
Game Summary: This isn't your Grandma's Clue game!!! A Clue-like mystery game with a twist -- the gameboard is interactive and talks back!
Price Range: $30
Age Range: Ages 8 and Up
No. of Players: 2-4
Time to Learn: 10-15 minutes
Time to Setup: 15 minutes
Reading Skills Needed: NO
Playtime: 45-60 minutes
Game Rating ****1/2
Game Review (Detail): Clue is a favorite in our house, so a new version of it featuring a “talking” gameboard seemed like a good choice for the holidays. With family over, we are always looking for games and activities to keep everyone (especially the children) busy, so this looked like it might fit the bill. In a nutshell, this is a lot of fun, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. It’s Clue, but with several novel twists, including a butler who "narrates" the game as it progresses. Basically you travel the board on the whim of the butler -- he tells who will be going next, and you press the base of your character into the room you wish to "investigate" -- the board senses your piece, and the butler tells you who you have found in that room. This takes a lot of the tediousness of the showing of cards in the original Clue game; on the other hand, some folks may get frustrated when the butler seems to skip their turn and allow another player to move first! But generally speaking, it seems fairly even-handed, and everyone was amused by the butler's comments, not to mention the buttons any player can push urging other players to hurry up with pointed and sarcastic comments! The only negative I saw was that the setup of the board the first time was quite an involved process; however, once put together, the game board is easier to use on subsequent occasions, and, unlike many three-dimensional gameboards, it actually does fit back into the original box when you need to put it away! I took a half-star away for the length of time it took to set up initially, and for the length of the game (the first time it was played, it took close to an hour to finish the game!) With our large family gathered, we also had to play as "teams" because the game accomodates only up to 4 players at a time, unlike the original Clue. Otherwise, this one gets a thumbs-up!
