Cluedo Chronicles 1: Fatal Illusion
(or Clue Chronicles to our friends in the USA)
Yeesh. I seem to be hitting a run of the mediocre lately. The main point about this "detective mystery adventure" is that there's no detecting involved. It's totally linear, as you move from one puzzle to the next and watch the story unfold in cutscenes. The final loose ends are wrapped up during the credits, so don't switch off too soon. The mystery itself, once explained, is rather far-fetched -- the sort of denouement that would make you throw a paperback across the room -- so be warned.
After an enigmatic intro depicting a murder during an Egyptian expedition in 1917, the game begins on New Year's Eve, 1938. You find yourself aboard a boat going up the Rhine to a multi-millionaire's mountain hideaway, where a party is planned. Also on board are all the usual Cluedo suspects, plus some original characters: a stage magician, a psychologist, an ESP researcher, a clairvoyant artist, and of course the wealthy host. Murder soon follows, and the story becomes entangled with magic both illusionistic and occult.
The graphics and sound are good, especially for their age, and the settings are sumptuously detailed and atmospheric. This loses some effect when you realise that there are actually very few places you can go and few things you can interact with or even look at. The puzzles are straightforward, either using inventory items or manipulating things in the environment. You will also be doing a lot of talking to the various suspects. You're well advised to ask everybody all available questions, and to make the rounds of everyone again after each major plot event.
The central section is padded out with an old gaming standby: finding six hidden jewels with the guidance of cryptic riddles that lead to puzzles. The riddles are easy enough to solve (one depends on an English-language rebus, so non-English-speakers will struggle there), but some of the puzzles are a bit tricky to complete. What I found unforgivable was the fact that, out of only six puzzles in this part, two are the same type. More padding comes later on with a maze section.
There is a hint option, but most of the time you shouldn't need any help. On the other hand, I grasped exactly what had to be done for the last major puzzle and couldn't solve it. Even after being fed the solution, I still don't understand the reasoning behind it...
Spoiler:You have to put the six jewels in six pans. Each pan is marked with an Egyptian hieroglyph, and you have a document describing the hieroglyphs and their meanings. Each jewel is associated with one of the six suspects. So the problem is working out which hieroglyph can also be associated with which suspect, and arranging the jewels accordingly. It doesn't help that the pans are tiny and the hieroglyphs very difficult to make out (and there's no zoom or "examine" option).
I was sure of the placement of three jewels, and worked systematically through the permutations of the other three, but nothing clicked. Finally I gave up and got the solution. Utterly baffling, and I turned out to be wrong with the jewel I was most sure of.
I bought my copy from the bargain bin, and I guess it was worth the price of a sandwich. If you're in the mood for a puzzle-driven linear ride, and don't expect to be doing any actual sleuthing and deduction, it will kill a couple of evenings. It's certainly easy enough for beginners, although I'd hesitate in recommending it to anyone. Possibly most useful as a case study for those who want to design their own games, to pick apart and analyse what works and what doesn't.
PROS: Atmospheric. Good control system. Some well-thought-out puzzles. Decent characterisation, in that the characters are distinct from each other. Mostly logical and believable, most of the time. No sliders!
CONS: No detection or deduction involved. Strictly linear. Some illogical puzzles and duplication of puzzle types. Unsatisfyingly far-fetched explanation of mystery. Characters are objects to speak to, don't react believably to game events. Padded with treasure hunt and maze.
Overall score: 4/10
