Common Sense Media Review
By Christy Matte
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Classic mystery game pushes in-app purchases.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
Clue: The Classic Mystery Game
Privacy Rating Warning
Privacy Rating
Our expert evaluators create our privacy ratings. The ratings are designed to help you understand how apps use your data for commercial purposes.
Pass
Meets our minimum requirements for privacy and security practices.
Warning
Does not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices.
Fail
Does not have a privacy policy and should not be used.
Privacy Rating
Our expert evaluators create our privacy ratings. The ratings are designed to help you understand how apps use your data for commercial purposes.
Pass
Meets our minimum requirements for privacy and security practices.
Warning
Does not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices.
Fail
Does not have a privacy policy and should not be used.
What's It About?
CLUE: THE CLASSIC MYSTERY GAME brings all of the intrigue you may remember as a kid minus the cheating that sometimes came along for the ride. Kids choose a character from one of six included, or select from one of the dozens of paid add-ons. They also choose a board; the standard board is included, but player can purchase themed boards (with characters, if they choose) such as Sherlock, Murder Express, Vampire Castle, and Egyptian Adventure. They also have the option to play solo (with AI), online with strangers, or online with friends.
Is It Any Good?
This old-school favorite translates well to the digital version, as long as you understand the basic rules. Clue: The Classic Mystery Game plays just like the board game, but with many actions automated for you. For example, the cards in your hand are automatically crossed out on your notepad to make it easier to detect the murderer. Those who have never played before may find it all a bit confusing, as the tutorial doesn't explain very much, and the help option is tucked away in the settings menu. But since you can't move to the wrong room or select an inappropriate card, those who just play along will likely figure most of it out.
It would be nice to have a few more characters unlocked with the paid game, especially where it would add to the diversity of options. And overall the presentation of the in-app purchases feels heavy-handed for a paid app. You're frequently presented with a new board or character, knowing that you're being asked to shell out more cash just to access this new content. But if you grew up with a sibling who loved to cheat, the digital version of Clue: The Classic Mystery Game might offer you the retribution you've been longing for.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about using logic in a game like this. How do you figure out which cards the other players have? How do you keep them from knowing which cards you have?
What are your family rules about in-app purchases? Is there a reason to constantly charge for additional content, or should this be wrapped into the initial price of the app?
App Details
- Devices : iPhone , iPad , Android
- Skills : Thinking & Reasoning : analyzing evidence , investigation , strategy
- Pricing structure : Paid
- Release date : April 16, 2020
- Genre : Board Games
- Publisher : Marmalade Game Studio
- Version : 2.6.7
- Minimum software requirements : iOS 8.0 or later; Android
- Last updated : April 2, 2021
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