Clue!, The (a.k.a. Der Clou!) Download (1994 Adventure Game)

You play Matt Stuvysant, a man of Polish descent and criminal persuasion. You arrive in London with nothing but the clothes on your back and a desire to become the greatest criminal mind this century. Once getting a room and meeting some accomplices, you must begin your career. Starting with small shops and gradually working your way up to the theft of the Crown Jewels.

The game allows you to control almost every aspect of the crime, from choosing the target building and accomplices to actually planning the burglary itself.

Have you ever wanted to know what it was like to be a master criminal without having to actually get your hands dirty? Now you can find out by playing The Clue!, a deliciously deviant throwback to the 1950s English mafia. Released by Neo Software in 1994 as Der Clou! in Germany, this uniquely complex adventure/strategy game allows plenty of opportunities to plan the perfect crime.

As Matt Stuvysant, a Polish-descent would-be criminal mastermind hitting the streets of London for the first time, you must begin to make your contacts and ply your skills as a thief and planner. This game is full of interesting and colorful characters, many of which can aid you in your quest to become a master thief - for a cut of the profits. Even more interesting is the game's list of locations, some obvious larks, while many are actual historical buildings in London. Each location that can be burgled has a surveillance option that allows you to observe and collect all the necessary information you need as long as you want - but don't stand around too long, as that can be extremely conspicuous to the locals.

The gameplay can be tedious and frustrating at times, as it requires scrolling through a multitude of menus for everything from simple conversation to moving from location to location. Everything you see and hear that is relevant to plotting a crime is stored in your Thinking menu, along with the object, person, or place's statistics. It can be difficult to get your bearings in the beginning, but if you have a little patience, it's rewarding. Also, the game switches from first person to third person view when you're planning a job. Not only is this somewhat confusing at first, but the controls change from point 'n click to arrow key manipulation, so don't let it get you down during your first planning session.

Don't forget to find the right tool for the heist - The Clue! has many to choose from, each of which has different statistics, such as level of noise generated, objects used upon, and skill required to use. For that matter, some of the required skills are very hard to come by, so make sure you pick the right men for the job, as well. Choosing the right tools and accomplices can very well make or break your attempted theft. There is also a decent range of getaway cars to choose from, each of which can be given some customizations useful to the budding burgler.

After you've successfully accomplished a heist, remember to pawn off your goods to an appropriate dealer. Be careful, though... just like in real life, some dealers don't like it when you've got your fingers in more than one pot... and they definitely don't like it when you tell 'em where to shove it, and come back later with your tail between your legs to reopen negotiation. After you've pawned off the goods, you can then turn around and reinvest your hard-earned dough into more tools of the trade.

You're dropped in a town with few money on you. You get out of the railroad station and call for a cab. TAXI!!! The cab driver opens the door for you and is happy to tell you that you're his 10,000 customer, so you get one year of free driving. Well, that's cool, that way you don't have to spend any money on driving through this god-damned town. Then, it becomes clear what you're doing here. You sign in in a hotel and after that, you will get your first assignment. You have to rob some kiosk a few miles out of town. You're going to take a look at it and especially: you watch how many police patrouilles pass at what time. Then, you make your plan, someone gave you a get-away vehicle (wow...) and the next thing you have to do is look for a driver... After you have found one, you can buy some stuff that could help you with breaking into that building. Then you're ready to draw your plan, just tell who goes where and does what at what time and when your plan is finished, go and make money!!!

All by all a good and a very amusing story. The graphics are good, sounds are ok, gameplay is good and the game is VERY addicting (trust me). A good game, really worth the download.

The Clue! is an original mix of adventure and strategy. You are Matt Stuvysant, a young criminal wannabe trying to strike it rich in London... through robbery. Adventure elements include talking to other people for clues on potential targets and recruiting accomplices and getaway car drivers, while strategy involves planning every detail of the burglary, including escape route and more. Great game overall, but difficult due to the wealth of information and names you must keep track of. Still, if you like adventure games that successfully combine elements from other genres, or just unique games in general, The Clue! is a must-play that will keep you entertained for dozens of hours.

How to run this game on modern Windows PC?

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