Detectives. I’m afraid there has been … a murder.
Actually, a few murders. All of them at The Oakdale Golf Club. We’ll need you to gather the clues and crack this crazy case! Be careful, and study the evidence closely – we don’t want these criminals to get away! Go on, there’s no time to waste!

What Is It?

An investigation game where players simultaneous draft clue cards from the center of the table that match the case they’re working on. These cards may give players clues regarding the time of the crime, the perpetrator, the murder weapon, the crime scene, and/or the getaway vehicle. But, the clues can be vague, so players will need to use their logic and wit to narrow things down in order to solve the crime. The clues will also have a number of investigate points on them, which will contribute to the players’ scores at the end. While the 1st player to solve the case may get a small reward if they are correct (discarding one of their lowest value cards) it is not about who finished the fastest, but who was the most efficient. The player with the least investigative points on all the clue cards they collected will ultimately win the game!

Who Is It For?

  • 1 to 4 players – Works well at any count
  • Ages 10+ – This iteration of the series is the first “medium” difficulty, prior ones were “beginner.” It is definitely a step up, but can still be accessible to a wide range of ages
  • Fans of deduction / logic puzzle style games

PROS

  • Quick set up and clean up
  • Plays quickly and smoothly
  • Good quality cards, dry erase boards, et cetera
  • Nice art
  • 9 unique games in one; all are also replayable as long as you leave some time between plays
  • Appealing to a wide range of players
  • Rules are well-written
  • Medium level takes the game up a notch by adding a 4th element to solve for, for each murder; great if you were already a fan of the series and wanted more

CONS

  • I think it’s neat that the screens serve as a privacy barrier and how you mark your solutions as you find them, but I do kind of wish there was a little extra room for notes to mark down certain info you might need to find out more about
  • It can be hard to avoid getting duplicate information from clues, even when you try to be more meticulous in which cards you’re choosing, just because there are so many

Final Thoughts

I have liked this series a lot since the first game, so I was really excited to see the level go up with this one – and I was not disappointed! I think it keeps the game accessible to a large range of players, while providing a little bit more of a challenge.

What remains a high point of this series for me is that it’s all about efficiency. The bonus you get for finishing first is nice, but if you spend a little more time really looking at your clues and trying to deduce the solution in less points, you’ll still come out the winner instead of someone who grabbed a ton of clues quickly, and ended up with a higher score.

There is also a solo mode, which I didn’t highlight above. It’s fine if you are someone who is just looking to solve the puzzle, and challenge yourself to use as few cards as possible, but the game really shines as a multi-player, competitive investigation game, for sure. I’d really only recommend it as such rather than solo.

I’m fully expecting a third difficulty level in the series (just based off the little indicator on the cover) and I can’t wait! This game is a must if you enjoy deduction/investigation games.

Additional Information:
My Final Rating – 8/10
Designer – Thomas Sing
Artist – Timo Grubing
Publisher – HABA
MSRP – $29.99
Website


*I was provided a copy of this game to do this review*

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