15.11.2013

I'm always intrigued by the somewhat arbitrary way in which board game manufacturers go about assigning a minimum age for any young person wishing to enjoy their products. In this particular case, we're looking at '10+'. Now, that indicates to me that this game requires a significant degree of skill, a certain amount of patience and, more than likely, immense levels of enthusiasm in order to spend a hefty chunk of your '10+' life experiencing a good idea, rather cleverly disguised as a rather dreary old board game. That doesn't even sound like a description of forty three year old me, let alone my little eight year old relative. Yet, she and I have managed to turn this game into something significantly more exciting,simply by disregarding most of the rules. Well, rules are meant to be broken, aren't they?I would say that '221B Baker Street' is a cross between 'Cluedo' and 'Whodunnit?', the classic Jon Pertwee 70s television parlour game. My little relative, and her 5 year old sister for that matter, are totally addicted to that show. Interestingly, they always seem to forget who the criminals were too, making the DVDs of it endlessly entertaining for them.The spirit of Mr Pertwee lives on in this game, whereby 2-6 players are presented with the basic facts of a case (usually a murder, but not necessarily) as read aloud to them from one of 40 included case-cards. Most people I'm sure would see themselves as Sherlock Holmes at this point although, for some extraordinary reason, my little relative seems rather more keen to attempt to channel the mystery-solving prowess of Patrick 'Bloodhound' Mower. Not that I can really talk, busy as I usually am trying to sneak a little bit of Anouska Hempel into my own deductive performance.The 'Cluedo' bit comes from having the players visit different locations (not rooms in this case, but places that Sherlock Holmes himself might have hung out at... like the bank, the park, Scotland Yard and the pub) in order to collect clues that will go towards helping them solve cases which would appear to have been inspired very much by the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.All well and good so far, no worries there. BUT... the detectives in this game do not share information with one another. In fact, they even go so far as to try to scupper their fellow detectives' investigations through the appallingly cynical use of 'Scotland Yard' cards. These seal off any important location to everyone except those in possession of a 'Locksmith's Key'. I don't know what that says about the spirit of cooperation but I do know one thing - it means that this game can go on for bloody HOURS! Not only that, but the clues range from out-and-out red herrings to things that Ted Rogers would cheerfully have given houseroom on '3-2-1'. In short... this can be damn hard work. Unless, of course, you work with your fellow detectives.The way you get your clues is simple but effective. On the back of each case-card is a list of locations and alongside each of those is a number; when you reach the location, you find the number and then you look it up in the accompanying booklet. Ah ha! But you can't have all the clues together in one place or else some of us might be a little too tempted to cheat and get a quick butcher's at a clue we're not supposed to (No? Oh well, that must just be me then). Consequently, the clues have been scattered around the book. Drat, and double drat!This game is very simple to get the hang of, but it can feel as though time has literally stopped when you find yourself halfway through it the way it should be played. So, my little friend and I have made a few changes, in the interests of keeping the attention of someone who is not exactly renowned for having significant levels of concentration. And that's just me, I don't know about her.First, the detectives all work together. This makes for a shorter game, it encourages team-work and it leads to a lively discussion between them, which is far more beneficial in my view. You would think that old maxim 'two heads are better than one' might apply under these circumstances but, with me involved, that's clearly not ever going to happen.There are only forty cases, which might just be a problem in the not too distant future. Anyone with even an ounce of intelligence is going to be able to remember all the salient points of each of the cases, once they've solved them. Although, I'm pretty sure that means I myself could probably use them time and time again without any problems.Oh, one last thing; as I said, both my little friends are devotees of 'Whodunnit?' and have recently started making up their own plays based very much upon the show itself; a crime, a celebrity panel, a suave and medallion-wearing presenter, a star prize consisting solely of a 'Thames Television magnifying glass' or something equally ridiculous... these '221B Baker Street' cases are proving extremely useful in that sense, because they provide a structure for these brilliant improvisations.Yes. I am always intrigued by the somewhat arbitrary way in which board game manufacturers come up with a minimum age for any young person wishing to enjoy their product... .

11.4.2018

Good Sherlock Holmes based Board Game, with scope for skill and imagination yet still simple enough that even my mother can win it now and then, and not always because we secretly let her. Has some things in common with ‘Cluedo’ but is different and to me is an advance on it.At the beginning of each game the details of a new case (there is a booklet containing around 70) are read out together with the questions the players have to answer to win. The crime is often a murder but may be something like theft of a jewel or a kidnapping. The questions vary from case to case but could be e.g. to “Identify a) the murderer, b) the motive, c) the weapon and d)how the murderer disposed of the body?’Each player has a different coloured deerstalker hat to move on the throw of a dice around a board representing a simplified version of late nineteenth century London. They begin from Sherlock Holmes’ flat at 221B Baker Street, to which they must return at the end to present the solution to the crime. In between they are free to visit locations like Scotland Yard, the Bank, the Museum, the Tobacconists, the Locksmith etc. at each of which they can see a written clue.Clues may be factual and may be related to the location at which they may be found e.g. the clue at the Docks could be ‘A large crate arrived for Dr Hutchinson on a ship from Hamburg the day before he disappeared’.Other clues are more like simple crossword puzzle clues. For example one may read: ‘Weapon Clue 1 of 2: Abbreviated Clergyman’ and another ‘Weapon Clue 2 of 2: Slightly rearranged Lover’.Once a player has seen both clues, or even if he has only seen one of them but can put it together with other information, he may work out that the Murder Weapon was a revolver [‘Rev’- abbreviation for ‘Reverend’ [title given to Clergymen] plus -‘olver’, the letters of the word ‘lover’ slightly rearranged.]It is often not necessary to visit every single location and see every clue to solve the crime. If a player does not understand one clue they may still be able to work out the solution from others. The tension mounts as players who suspect they have the full solution must decide whether to hurry straight back to Baker Street to present the full answer, and lose the game if they are wrong, or to gather more clues until they are sure, risking that in the meantime another player may present the correct solution and win the game.There are ‘Scotland Yard’ and ‘Skeleton Key’ cards by which a player may restrict or reopen access to a location and clue. However, we have never bothered with them and I do not know if they add anything to the game.One game seems to take about an hour. We sometimes play a couple of games in one session.Someone who really wanted to cheat could read clues or solutions from the booklet in advance. However, please resist the temptation. That would reduce the enjoyment of what should be an interesting but not too serious game.***For those who have not read any of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s original Sherlock Holmes stories, but playing this game makes them want to do so, the short stories are better than the novels and the early to middle period stories are better than the later ones.Try either a ‘Best of Sherlock Holmes’ collection or ‘The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes’ which includes the stories ‘Silver Blaze’ (source of the phrase ‘the curious incident of the dog in the night time’) and ‘The Final Problem’ with its fateful encounter at the Reichenbach falls in the Swiss Alps, when Holmes comes up against the criminal mastermind Professor Moriarty.After a hundred years or more the style of writing is a little old-fashioned. However, apart from usually being good stories they give an insight into how people lived and the attitudes of the time, which although different from ours were sometimes more progressive than one may expect. I also like the way that the outcomes are not predictable. Often Holmes cleverly solves the case and the criminal is caught. However, sometimes even Holmes is outwitted and the criminal gets away, or it turns out that there was no crime, or Holmes decides no good would be done by exposing the criminal and lets the matter go.

18.1.2020

Let me begin by saying that this is a light, fun detective game. If you are looking for a more intense, deductive detective experience (or will be playing with a group of adults who seriously fancy themselves as Holmeses) then you may want to consider the Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective range of games instead.With that in mind, as someone who has played both of my aforementioned games I really enjoy this one. This is a great game for playing with mixed age groups or families who enjoy easy to learn games with a traditional mechanism for playing and no need for actions, analysis or 'Quick Reference Cards' for complicated turns. I have generally played this with a group of 4 adults,

30.5.2020

I love a good board game and do like a game of cluedo, although the limitations of cluedo are that you don’t have any freedom to deduce things and simply rule things in or out as you go.From this point of view 221B Baker Street really does capture the deduction element of Sherlock Holmes, as although the game provides you with clues, they are often cryptic and you need to use your own intuition and powers of deduction to fill in some of the blanks that you simply won’t always get from the clues.This game is easy to learn and is great for 2 players. I have not played it with a group yet, but imagine this would add an extra competitive element.

2.3.2016

love the game, for years I've thought about how the game Cluedo could be improved, but never really done anything about it and here we are with Gibsons take on the detective game. Every time you play the story is different, the clues are different and the solutions are different. You do have to read and think about the known facts, or story line carefully and you can't take all of the clues at face value.The game can be tweaked a little to make it even better, for instance you can effectively tape off an area to prevent others from entering a place to get the clue by placing a card on it, which is exactly what would happen in real life. However,

10.5.2011

If you like Cluedo you will like this - although it may not be suitable for younger players (under 10?) as a little bit more skill is required. Basically you start with a puzzle to solve and then move from location to location getting clues. Each time you enter a location you read a clue in the booklet corresponding to the puzzle that you are doing - so only YOU read the clue when you enter the location. The clue may or may not be useful. You are also able to block and unlock locations with the use of "keys" - this allows you to bluff and double-bluff your opponents into thinking there may be some reason for them to visit the location (when there isn't!). You can also take short cuts from some locations to another location.

4.5.2014

This is a mixture of a Cluedo like game and the Sherlock Holmes Puzzle Collection book.I would have preferred it to have come in a smaller box - the board folds down square so I'm not sure of the point of the unwieldy size of the box.The board shows a Cluedo like maze of buildings rather than rooms and it only takes one or two plays to see the quickest way round.The cases are dastardly and it is essential to make notes because there are a lot of characters with a lot of traits and a lot of clues to keep track of.It is very thought provoking and the answer can pivot on one tiny clue so one must pay attention to everything offered.We love the Sherlock Holmes head playing pieces.

22.9.2015

I absolutely love this game, the strength of the game lies in the storytelling aspects. As a kid (around 10+) my friends and I would play this, as would visiting families. It's great for rainy days and for people who love solving or reading mysteries. It can be played several times over, as long as you give enough of a break between returning to play (thus forgetting the case details). When I played it at times I'd play it as a team, when there were only two players, each person gathering clues, as it can be quiet difficult to solve some clues particularly if you're young, although a lot of the fun from the game comes from racing each other to be the first to answer. It's like cluedo, only better!

22.12.2019

Bought this game to take on a week of rest and relaxation with mum and sister.As three adults we found the game to be enjoyable and quite fun!I expected a glorified version of Cluedo, so I was pleasantly surprised to find there’s a lot more to it than simply a ‘process of elimination’. The gist is that you visit ‘buildings’ to collect clues which may end up being cryptic, statements, or ‘clue one of 3’ type clues. There’s also an opportunity to ‘lock out’ your opponents from the buildings to avoid them getting vital clues. We didn’t feel the need to use these padlock and keys however, I imagine with 6 people playing it may help to make the game more difficult and exciting.All in all, a good buy,

7.2.2015

Five stars may seem a little irresponsible, but four stars just doesn't cut it for this game. And, since there are so few decent board games created which genuinely engage, provide and reward, I'll stick with the five.This game has a lifespan. It is really only good for 75 game. However, how many times do you ordinarily play a board game? By the 75th game, I'll likely have forgotten the specifics of the case (Although, not my first case. I really felt like I was chasing the clues around London). Having come off the back of playing two less-than-enjoyable games, which clearly had as much thought go into the design as that game with the hippos and their starvation,

21.1.2021

A very good and cleverly written game! This is not just a re-packaged 'Cluedo'!There are 75 cases in this box (and you can buy expansion packs once you've finished them). Each case is written on a card. The card is read out and pertinent information should be recorded to help your investigations. Be warned, it is often complicated and cryptic!When the game is underway you throw the dice to take turns to visit each of the establishments on the board to gather clues. These can be obvious, cryptic, or try to throw you off the scent. You record your findings on a sheet of the printed paper provided and, once you've cracked the case, race back to Baker Street to reveal your findings!A two-player game will take around an hour per case,

23.8.2017

My sister and I played it at the dinner table and we're enjoying it. She read the books and the series while I'd just seen the show. We both ended up really scratching our heads at the clues. It's a bit fiddly to keep having to refer to the clue book and I suspect halfway through the cases the clue book should be quite battered up. (Hence the 4 stars)Other than that, very fun game! Clues are tricky to understand, and you'd need a shrewd mind to understand them. (Tried playing it after a couple glasses of wine, didn't work out very well - lost) The game came nicely packaged and nothing was missing as far as I can tell. Game pieces are heads of Sherlock in multiple colours and includes one die.

16.2.2011

It's an interesting game, though it takes a bit of time to set up and a lot of thinking (Which we usually don't feel like after our daughter has gone to bed. She's 2, so couldn't really play! :) We have managed to play 4 games so far, and 2 of them have left us both completely clueless! So it's definitely worth its money, it's not too easy for even adults.Pieces look fun, some of the Sherlocks have pipes and some don't, there are definitely enough sheets for clues, and the die is nice, though it doesn't roll very well on the board. Board itself looks nice and has fun little details on it, I like the way ground on the edges changes to sky for some of the locations.Only downside for me is that the box is absolutely huge.

1.11.2015

Wonderfully simple to play but not easy to solve the cases takes some thinking. What you do is go from location to location on the board uncovering clues on the board. When you land in a location you look at the case card and look at the number clue in the back of the instruction booklet and note it down on your piece of paper. When you think you can solve the clue you must go back to 221b baker street and look in the book if you are right if you are you reveal to the players you are. We always write down what we think it is before looking so the player cannot cheat. If they are wrong they cannot reveal what their choices were they just say I am wrong and are out of the game.

28.12.2016

I normally find board games are a bit disappointing when you actually come to play them. But this has been a breath of fresh air. The rules are simple - throw a dice and move around the board to collect clues and solve a crime. Unlike cluedo the crime you have to solve is different every time you play - with 75 cases included in the version I bought. Each crime has different clues - including some red herrings. It's part luck getting high rolls to move around the board quickly, and visiting locations with the best clues. Part skill trying to deduce the solution from the smallest number of clues. The game is for ages 10+, but my 7 year old loves playing it if she can be play on someones team.

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