This is the premise of the newly relaunched game from Ravensburger. It's a family game for 3-6 players aged 8 and over. We received one to try out.
One player chooses to be Mr X, and they get to wear the cap. He starts the game with a secret starting point, from where he moves from station to station, logging his progress in his travel log. Meanwhile, the other players act as detectives trying to find him and catch him. Mr.X's playing piece only appears on the board at certain times, making it very hard to keep track on his journey and predict his destination.
The game sees players travel by taxi, underground or bus using tickets as their fare. Journeys have to follow the routes on the game mode and can be made by either of the modes of transport. Players will be able to tell how Mr.X travels but not where he is going, and need to work out which route he may have taken using their powers of deduction. The tickets are all clearly visible in the log but as Mr.X can use black tickets to disguise his chosen modes of transport this is not as easy as it seems.
A detective will win if he arrives at the location of Mr.X who then has to reveal himself. However, if the detectives become immobilised through not having the correct tickets to continue their journey, then Mr.X remains undefeated.
This game is all about strategy, skill and deduction. It is definitely one for older players who are able to follow the gameplay and work out Mr X's movements. The game lasts for around 45 minutes to an hour and can get quite tense at times. Players need to be committed to the game and it can get a little complicated. However, when the kids enter into the spirit of the game it gets quite competitive and allows them to unleash their inner detectives and try to outwit Mr.X (who in our case was Daddy!)
The instructions are quite extensive and there are two versions of gameplay which makes it a bit complicated to work out. But through playing and slightly tweaking the rules to suit ourselves we were able to make the game work for us.
The game cards and tickets are all made made from quality card and the detailed game board featuring London City is beautifully made, as you would expect from the Ravensburger brand.
This game would make a great gift for Father's Day, allowing dads to take on the role of Mr.X and take on their families in this game of wits.
Find out more here: www.ravensburger.com/uk/products/games/family-games/scotland-yard-26117/index.html RRP £19.99