The Clue!

An adventure game, assuming the identity of Matt Stuvysant, a burglar who is looking beyond just the clothes on his back and a hotel room on Holland Street, the player is tasked with finding accomplices, scouting potential targets, and plotting plans of burglary, down to the finest detail. Featuring the archetypal point-and-click interface during investigations, engaging in planning a job would alter the controls to include keyboard, using it to control the planned movements of the personnel.

Released: 1994
Platforms: Amiga Amiga CD32 MS-DOS
Genres: Adventure Point-and-click adventure Puzzle Role-playing Simulation Strategy Tactical
Developers: Rockstar Vienna
Publishers: —
Series: The Clue!
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: First person Bird view / Isometric
Themes: Stealth
Country: Austria
Age ratings: ESRB E
Entry: #1 in The Clue!

About

The Clue! (known as Der Clou! in German-speaking regions) is a 1994 adventure game inspired by the 1986 game They Stole a Million. The player is tasked with finding accomplices, scouting potential targets, and plotting a burglary.

The game uses a point-and-click interface. A sequel followed in 2001: The Sting! (or Der Clou 2!.)

Keywords

detective
murder
heist
thief
crime
dice
wraparound world

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The gameplay is composed of two different modes. Most of the time, the player is travelling around the city of London and talking with people via a point-and-click interface like in classical adventure games, while more strategy-like top-down perspective is used for the actual planning of the heists.

The adventure mode uses static graphics depicting various places with menu interface to control Matt's actions. It is in this mode, where the player buys and sells cars, tools and other equipment needed for thievery, recruits accomplices and scouts for possible target buildings. Every important information as an amount of money, description of tools, cars, loot, etc. can be accessed anytime through the Think menu.

Story

The Clue! is set in 1953 in the streets of London and its countryside. Actual historical locations and buildings are used, such as Victoria station and Karl Marx's Tomb at Highgate Cemetery, along with some fictional ones.

The player character is Matt Stuvysant, a young criminal wanna-be getting immersed into the world of London underworld. He can make social contacts with other characters in various pubs and bars. Most of the NPCs can be hired to assist in burglary.