''The Clue!'' (known as ''Der Clou!'' in German-speaking regions) is a 1994

adventure game An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and/or Puzzle video game, puzzle-solving. The Video game genres, genre's focus on story allows it to draw ...

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 Point and click are the actions of a computer user moving a pointer to a certain location on a screen (''pointing'') and then pressing a button on a mouse, usually the left button (''click''), or other pointing device. An example of point and cli ...

interface. A sequel followed in 2001:

The Sting! ''The Sting!'' (released in German-speaking regions as ''Der Clou! 2'') is a strategy/adventure video game developed by Neo Software and released by JoWooD Productions on 1 July 2001. It is the sequel to 1994's '' The Clue!'' (known as ''Der Clo ...

(or Der Clou 2!.) In 2000 the

source code In computing, source code, or simply code, is any collection of code, with or without comments, written using a human-readable programming language, usually as plain text. The source code of a program is specially designed to facilitate the wo ...

was released to the public. The game was since then ported to modern platforms (

Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

Linux Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which ...

and Web) via SDL and receives still updates by the game's community (2015).theclou.netlify.app
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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

interface like in classical adventure games, while more strategy-like

top-down perspective A variety of computer graphic techniques have been used to display video game content throughout the history of video games. The predominance of individual techniques have evolved over time, primarily due to hardware advances and restrictions ...

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. Before committing a burglary, the player must collect all the necessary information by investigation of the site. A car and at least one associate with driving skills is also obligatory. After these conditions have been fulfilled, the player can switch the game into the ''planning mode'' by selecting the option ''Planning'' in the hotel room.Game manual There he chooses the escape car, accomplices and the driver. In the final stage of planning, the player controls movement of the thieves by the keyboard and works out the details of the plan in real-time like simulation. The loot from successful coup must be sold to one of the three available dealers in order to earn money. Each dealer is specialized in different commodities and will not accept or will pay less for other types of merchandise. Essential part of the gameplay are skills such as driving,

lockpicking Lock picking is the practice of unlocking a lock by manipulating the components of the lock device without the original key. Although lock-picking can be associated with criminal intent, it is an essential skill for the legitimate professi ...

or electronics, which affects the time needed to complete specific tasks. Some actions and tools depend on particular skill level of person doing it (for example using

stethoscope The stethoscope is a medical device for auscultation, or listening to internal sounds of an animal or human body. It typically has a small disc-shaped resonator that is placed against the skin, and one or two tubes connected to two earpieces. ...

for opening a

safe A safe (also called a strongbox or coffer) is a secure lockable box used for securing valuable objects against theft or fire. A safe is usually a hollow cuboid or cylinder, with one face being removable or hinged to form a door. The body and ...

lock requies higher skill level than using a

welding torch Principle of burn cutting Oxy-fuel welding (commonly called oxyacetylene welding, oxy welding, or gas welding in the United States) and oxy-fuel cutting are processes that use fuel gases (or liquid fuels such as gasoline or petrol, diesel, ...

for the same job). Participants of a successful burglary also improve their skills. In addition to skills, each character has various personal traits as dexterity, loyalty, greed or nerves. These traits affect things like proportion of share from the loot, how many trails the person leaves on the crime scene or if he/she betrays his/her associates when captured by the police.

Plot

''The Clue!'' is set in 1953 in the streets of

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and its countryside. Actual historical locations and buildings are used, such as Victoria station and

Karl Marx Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...

's Tomb at

Highgate Cemetery Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in north London, England. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East Cemeteries. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for some of the people buried there as ...

, along with some fictional ones. The

player character A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not control ...

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 A non-player character (NPC), or non-playable character, is any character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster o ...

can be hired to assist in burglary. The story begins with Matt Stuvysant arriving to London Victoria station. Shortly after he is settled in the Ugly dog hotel on Holland street, he is contacted by his father's old friend Herbert Briggs, a well-renowned burglar.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Clue!, The 1994 video games Adventure games Amiga games DOS games Role-playing video games Video game remakes Fiction set in 1953 Video games about crime Video games set in London Video games set in the United Kingdom Video games developed in Austria Commercial video games with freely available source code Rockstar Vienna games