Board Game Review: The Simpsons Clue is so much Fun!

It was Edna Krabappel in the Early Man Room…with the Tarantula!

We love board games. Many family activities involve playing board games. It is a great way to bond as a family and everyone plays on an even level for the most part, no matter what their age happens to be, especially with a game like Clue.

This is the Simpsons version of Clue, which has been newly released in its 3rd Edition with a whole new mystery to solve. The previous editions of The Simpsons Clue board game had the same murder occurring. Mr. Burns was knocked off, and it is so easy to see why! However, the suspects, the locations, and the objects have changed. While you could once blame Smithers, with the poisoned donut, at the Bowl-a-Rama, this edition of The Simpsons Clue game features Edna Krabappel and Fat Tony with the Bone or the Tarantula in the Animal Diorama Room or the Egyptian Room.

The Story Behind “The Simpsons Clue”:
There is a story behind The Simpsons Clue – 3rd Edition. In it, Mr. Burns has attended the opening gala at the Springfield Natural History Museum. Unfortunately, this will be the last event he will ever attend as he gets knocked off. There are only six characters that could have done it. The characters are Bart Simpson, Lisa Simpson, Homer Simpson, Marge Simpson, Fat Tony and Edna Krabappel. Chief Wiggum, of the Springfield Police has the perfect way to find out who did it. He dresses the six suspects up like the original Clue characters and tells them they have 24 hours to solve the crime. It is up to the characters to solve the crime by eliminating the others and narrowing down the list until only one character, one weapon, and one location remain.

All of the locations are related to the Springfield History Museum. Since this is the sight of the crime, then this is the place the suspects must stay to solve the murder. The list of rooms that could have been the place of the murder include the Egyptian Room, the Dinosaur Room, the Early Man Room, the Medieval Room, the Greek Room, the Animal Diorama Room, the Springfield History Room, the Jewel Room, and the Great Inventions Room. The weapons all come from the museum as well. These new weapons are certainly inventive and include a cobra, a bone, a tarantula, a Greek bust, a spear, and a mace.

The Way to Play:
Playing the game is similar to playing the original game of Clue. You have six character pieces. Each character piece is designed after a member of the original Clue board game. Bart is styled like Colonel Mustard, Homer is Professor Plum, Marge is Mrs. White, Lisa is Ms. Peacock, Edna Krabappel is Miss Scarlett, and Fat Tony is Mr. Green. Their figures are wearing costumes that reflect each character.

You will place the characters on the board in their designated starting position. You will also place the weapons in the rooms where the instructions say you should place them. The first person to go is Miss Scarlett aka Edna Krabappel. If no one is playing Edna the first person to the left is the first player to have a turn. If someone is Edna, then she will take her turn and the next player to the left has their turn next. To take a turn players roll the dice and move across the board to get into the various rooms on the board. Where you will go will depend on what rooms you have already ruled out based on what cards you were dealt at the beginning of the game.

There are three sets of cards, suspects, locations, and weapons. Each of the three sets is mixed up separately. Without looking at it, the top card from each mixed up stack is taken and placed in the evidence envelope. From there, the three stacks are merged together and mixed up. Then they are dealt out to each game player evenly until the cards are gone. Each player needs to use a paper from a crime pad. On the pad, there is a list of all suspects, weapons, and locations. If the player has suspects, rooms, and weapons in the stack they were dealt, they can x them off on the crime pad. These cards show who was definitely not responsible for the crime, what they didn’t use, and the rooms that Mr. Burns was not killed in, so they can automatically be ruled out.

Players can move in every direction, except for in a diagonal path through the squares on the board. As players travel the board to different rooms, upon entry in the room they must declare who they believe murdered Mr. Burns and what weapon they used. This is their crime guess. The weapon and the suspect (in figurine form) are moved to the room just long enough for the other players in the game to prove or disprove the player who made the guess/accusation is wrong or not. Starting to the left of the player who made the guess, the next player tries to prove the guess wrong by showing the room, the suspect, or the weapon card that the person guessed to fit the crime. For example, a person who guesses Fat Tony, in the Egyptian Room, with the bone would have to be proven wrong by a player who has one of those three cards.

If the first player doesn’t have any of those three cards, the next player to their left must try to prove the guess wrong. Once all of the players have had their chance to prove the guess wrong, if the guess has not been proven wrong, then it is likely the player who guessed is correct and they can check the evidence envelope to see if they are correct. If the player is correct they win the game. If they are incorrect, they should put the cards back (without any other players seeing them) in the envelope and they are not allowed to play or guess in the game anymore. The game continues until a correct accusation/guess has been made or all the players have guessed incorrectly. In the latter scenario, no one can win.

What you receive:
The Simpsons Clue game box includes one game board with spaces for six figures to begin from, nine rooms, and individual squares for players to count as they move across the board. There are six figures representing each suspect. There are 21 cards representing all nine rooms, all six suspects, and all six weapons. There are six weapon pieces in the shape of the weapon they represent. There is a crime pad with multiple papers listing weapons, suspects, and locations. Players can use one piece of paper from the pad to mark off the cards they have been dealt and any cards other players say they have when a guess is made. There is also an instruction booklet and a set of dice included in the box.

Bottom Line:
The Simpsons Edition of Clue is a really fun game to play. If you like board games, the Simpson and enjoy spending time together with family and friends then this game is definitely one you need to pick up at the store. This game definitely has the potential to be a hot holiday seller. The game is inventive, fun, and the re-playability factor is astounding. You can play this game again and again and never grow tired of it. Hasbro has a winner with The Simpsons Clue. Buy it today and find out how great a game it truly is.

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Written by Ashtyn Evans – Visit Website
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Ashtyn is in her early 30s. She is a mother, writer, college student, and music lover. Ashtyn has had a successful career as a writer since 2003. She turned to blogging in 2005. Ashtyn attends Wright State where she is getting a degree in Psychology. She has extensive knowledge in SEO and Social Media Development.