221b Baker Street

221b Baker street is a very simple game to understand, with very few rules, so you can start playing very quickly instead of having to read your way through an instruction booklet the size of your local telephone directory. The game comes with 40 different cases, and it's your job, as Sherlock, to solve them.

Each case is detailed on a card, and tells the story of a crime, detailing the probable suspects and a list of important locations. Clues are hidden at each of fourteen locations on the board. Players must collect these clues and deduce their answers from these, in order to solve the crime.

Some of the clues are very easy, while others take a little more thought and deduction, meaning it's probably not suitable for young children to play. The box recommends it being suitable for ages 10+. An average game with four players lasts around 1hour20 minutes.

As there are only forty cases, there will be a point when there are no more crimes left to solve, however, I understand that extra 'booster boxes' are available.

Highly recommended!

The game itself is sort of a cross between Cluedo and a crossword puzzle. Instead of the ballroom, as per Cluedo, 221B Baker Street is set in the era of Holmes, and includes 14 such locations as the docks, the Boar's Head, the tobacconists or the Locksmiths.

The game begins with each player reading the case card (of which there are 40), which amounts to 4 or 5 paragraphs detailing the storyline, evidence collected, and key locations or relationships that have surfaced during Holmes investigation to date. Each player then assumes the role of Holmes, and must solve the case accordingly. Each case is different, so sometimes you may need as many as 6 pieces of information, such as murderer, murder weapon or motive to solve the case. Each of the 14 locations holds a single clue to solving the case, but the better clues are located at the sites that are referred to, or are relevant to the specific case notes. Many of the clues found at each location could be lifted straight out of a crossword puzzle. Some more difficult that others, and many that mean nothing until you have another clue to piece together with it. Some clues are full sentences, and background information, that just give you a hint of a potential lead. Once you feel you can solve the case, its back to 221B Baker Street to announce yourself the winner. Its quite possible to have all the clues from all 14 locations, and still not be able to solve the case, leaving the player who has rolled 1's and 2's all the way around to pip you at the post.

The board is cunningly laid out to make it very difficult to make an efficient tour of the 14 locations. One way around this is to make use of the carriage depot, which allows you a one way trip to any location on the board.

I recommend this game to anyone who likes either Cluedo or cryptic crosswords. Throw in a dose of Sherlock, a dice and some friends, and this is a GREAT evening if you are entertaining!

As already mentioned, there are only 40 different case cards included in the set. In theory, you can only play the game then, 40 times. But do you remember the answers to a crossword you half finished 3 months ago? Neither do I!

There are extra cases available for this game, numbers 41 through 100. Thankfully, I loved this game so much back in the day, that I ordered the extra 60 cases. At present, I am unaware of anywhere that stocks them. The U.S. version of 221B seems to go up to case #240, though Im not sure if they are 100% adaptable to the UK version.