Report to Scotland Yard and talk to Chief Officer Doyle, who is summoning you to investigate a crime that occurred in one of 16 different locations in the city of London. Once he gives you general information about the crime, he tells you to visit the crime scene, look for clues, and gather information, which you hope to use as evidence to help solve the case. You need to find out who committed the crime by interrogating suspects, gathering evidence, determining a motive, and then returning to Scotland Yard, where you will answer questions that relate to the crime. If you are successful, you can move on to another case. If you fail or wish to gain a better score, you can replay it. This game is the first in a series of crime-solving games and contains a tutorial case as well as 12 cases/scenarios to solve. Play solo or with up to four people as a cooperative deduction experience.
When you first start, you will download the free app from either the Apple Store or Google Play. Once downloaded, you can play on your phone or tablet without an internet connection. Included in the game is an evidence board, evidence cards, location boards, character cards, and special-items cards. Chief Officer Doyle will give you the location and type of crime for the case that you choose. Once you visit the crime scene, examine the location for clues to start you on a path to look for more clues, and submit different types of evidence you find to experts at the Morgue, Intelligence Bureau, Forensic Laboratory, or Criminology Center. Gather additional clues by questioning suspects and follow where the clues lead you. Sometimes another look at the crime scene yields additional clues and suspects.
I really enjoyed my initial play of this game, mostly because it is so forgiving. It has a variety of cases to solve, and they can be re-played. I also see it as a useful tool to hone deduction and cooperative skills. This is the first Chronicles of Crime game, followed by the Millenium versions (Chronicles of Crime 1400, 1900, and 2400) that are also available for purchase here. For 1-4 players with 60–90 minute game time.