Product Description

Was it Draco Malfoy with a Sleeping Draught in the Owlery? Kids will love taking on the roles of their favorite Harry Potter characters in this HP twist on the classic game Clue. Race through the halls of Hogwarts to discover who did it and what spell or magical item was used and where the student was attacked. Hasbro Games. Ages: 9+

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1141 in Toys & Games
• Brand: Parker Brothers
• Model: 40614
• Dimensions: 2.60" h x 10.50" w x 15.80" l, 2.55 pounds

Features

• Discover the secrets of Hogwarts in this version of the classic Mystery game
• A fellow student has vanished from the famous School of Witchcraft and Wizardry--and it is up to you to solve the mysterious disappearance
• Move around Hogwarts making suggestions--but watch out; wheels on the board actually move to reveal secret passages, hidden staircases, and even the Dark Mark
• Go to Dumbledore's office to make your final accusation to win the game
• Kids will love taking on the roles of their favorite Harry Potter characters in this HP twist on the classic game Clue.

From the Manufacturer
Discover the secrets of Hogwarts in this version of the classic Mystery game. Enjoy new game play features and a moving Hogwarts game board. Dark magic has been performed at Hogwarts. A fellow student has vanished from the famous School of Witchcraft and Wizardry--and it is up to you to solve the mysterious disappearance. Play as Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna or Neville and try to discover who did it, what spell or item they used, and where the student was attacked. Was it Draco Malfoy with a Sleeping Draught in the Owlery? Move around Hogwarts making suggestions--but watch out. Wheels on the board actually move to reveal secret passages, hidden staircases, and even the Dark Mark. Think you've gathered all the facts you need? Go to Dumbledore's office to make your final accusation to win the game.

Customer Reviews

Clue has an upgrade
I bought this board game thinking that the only allure it would have for my 8 year old son was the fact that it was Harry Potter based. I was happy to be wrong and surprised . I love that there is an added level to the old style clue with the dark mark deck and help cards. The most challenging part for my three boys is not losing all of your house points before you can rescue the lost student. If your child is a Harry Potter fan or not i think this toy is a very smart purchase and very worth the price paid for it. I would only say that you should be aware this is definately not for anyone younger than 7 reading is a big must.(my 4 year old was broken hearted he couldn't play too, so he became the dice thrower!)

clue! now with more bad luck!
I must confess I am a Clue fan first and a Harry Potter fan second. So, while I'm really happy with the adaptation of Hogwarts into a Clue board, I'm a little disappointed that the "whodunit?" aspect sometimes takes a seat to another gameplay aspect - House Points, which, when completely lost, cause a player to lose the game.

As far as Clue goes, it's still pretty standard - players need to determine the who, where, with what of a kidnapping mystery. Players take turns moving about Hogwarts, making and disproving suggestions. In terms of other versions of the game, it feels closest to the recently released Clue.

On the Harry Potter front, the game is really fun. More often than not, someone gets to turn a dial under the game board on their turn, which opens and closes doors and secret passages in Hogwarts. A very fun twist. The suspect and player cards adapt likenesses from the movies and are nicely done.

One aspect that can bog the game down, though, is the appearance of the Dark Mark, which exists on one side of one die, as well as within Hogwarts as the dials under the board are turned. When a Dark Mark appears, a card is drawn and players can lose House Points, and when a player has no more House Points, they lose the game. There are "Help Cards" that can prevent the loss of House Points, but there are just sooo many of them that no one ever seems to have the right one. In each game I've played, at least one player loses simply because of these unlucky die rolls and card draws, which is unfortunate. (Clue games are less fun when you've lost but still have to sit there to disprove suggestions!)

Longer story short, this is a neat and different version of Clue that should please Clue and Harry Potter fans alike. But thanks to the House Point aspect, it's the first version of Clue I've seen where so many people lose before the game is over!

Artistic presentation disappointing
It's fun to have the Harry Potter theme within the Clue game, and the house points aspect can be fun. However, the board is difficult to work with because the rooms are not distinguished by color or design. The board is a pen and ink drawing, like the Marauder's Map. While a clever idea, you have to read the room names, rather than glance at the room and know where you are. Playing at a table, I found I had to half rise from my seat every turn to read the room names. I wanted to use markers to color the game board somewhat, like a coloring book, to give the rooms a recognizable character. However the game board's shiny coating prevented the marker from absorbing so that solution was quickly abandoned.

Also, very disappointing that the weapons are just disks punched out of cardboard. In regular Clue, the charm of the miniature rope, knife, lead pipe, etc. are part of the fun. Who would want to play Monopoly, for instance, without the little hat, iron, racecar or dog? I know, it is hard to come up with a 3D version of a weapon when it is a potion or a spell, but somehow using little cardboard disks takes away from the fun of the game. It's all so two dimensional. Maybe instead they could have made the Suspects little 3D characters, so we'd have something interesting on the board. There is just no visual aspect of the board or pieces that make this game appealing. Great concept, disappointing artwork that gets in the way of the fun.