The Clue!
| Developer: …and avoid panic by | Graphics: |
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| Publisher: Neo | Sound: |
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| Year: 1994 | Difficulty: |
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| Genre: Strategy-adventure | Lastability: |
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| Number of players: 1 | Rating: |
8/10 | |
A German game (Der Clou!), translated into English (allegedly poorly, though I didn’t notice a thing).
You’ve played detectives, reporters, and spies countless times—how about trying your hand at being a burglar for a change?
The story begins in 1953, in London. You are Matt Stuvysunt, a greenhorn who’s just arrived, broke and aimless. No problem: wander the streets, and you’ll soon cross paths with some “profitable” acquaintances who’ll open up opportunities. You’ll start humbly enough by prying open a newspaper stand, but the trade’s demands quickly hit you: do you need a vehicle? One or more accomplices? Equipment? Is the target protected by alarms? Guards? Have you planned an escape route? And most crucially, how long will it take the police to arrive if things go sideways?
As you’ve probably guessed, you’re the mastermind, and it’s not just about smashing a window and stuffing everything you see into a sack (though that can be part of it!). First, you’d be wise to scout the location, identify the skills needed (a safe to crack?), and recruit your team accordingly. Then, sketch out your plan in the safety of your hotel room. It’s practically programming: assign roles to your crew and time every action down to the second. The goal? Outsmart the security, grab the most valuable (and portable) loot, and leave without a trace.
There’s no time limit to finalise your plan. You can save it, tweak it, or revisit it later. Execution is as simple as pressing a button, and everything unfolds automatically, following your carefully laid instructions—until the unexpected happens.
Once you’ve pulled off your heist (successfully), you’ll need to fence the loot with your favourite dealer while staying off the police’s radar. Pro tip: switch cars often!
The heists progress at your own pace, in any order you choose. They grow increasingly difficult but also more lucrative. Your ultimate goal? The Crown Jewels, naturally.
The concept of meticulously planning a robbery is directly borrowed from an earlier title: They Stole a Million (Amstrad CPC/Commodore 64/ZX Spectrum, 1986). Here, it’s dressed up as a point-and-click adventure (except, for some inexplicable reason, the mouse clicks didn’t work for me, so I had to play with the keyboard). In practice, you move from screen to screen using basic commands displayed at the bottom, examine your surroundings, and talk to characters, whereas the original game relied entirely on stark menus. The atmosphere is much richer here, though the interface still has its share of tedious menus. One detail drives me mad: dialogue doesn’t advance with the enter key—it cuts off abruptly before you’ve finished reading.
The game spans 4 to 5 floppy disks: a hard drive installation is mandatory (or go for the CD32 version).
An expansion came out the following year (Der ProfiDiskette); I’m not sure if it was ever translated into English. In 2001, a 3D sequel was released: Clou 2, aka The Sting!.
Today, it’s reminiscent of Thief Simulator (2018).
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