Scotland Yard is a board game that is very popular in Europe. The Nintendo DS version of Scotland Yard was recently released in North America by ThinkSMART Games. This detective game is fun and engaging for all ages!
Cops and Robbers
In Scotland Yard, you can either play as the Detectives or as Mr. X, a slippery thief. All characters move around the city map using Taxi, Bus and Subway tickets. While the Detectives positions on the board are always known by everyone, Mr. X's location is hidden, except at specific points during the game, when he taunts the Detectives. The detectives must use this information and see what kind of tickets Mr. X is using in order to corner and capture the thief.
Working Together
Being based off a board game, you can play the game with multiple friends. There can be up to five Detectives and one Mr. X. It is even possible to play off of just one Nintendo DS! Just play your turn and pass the handheld to the next player. Detectives can work together by writing notes to each other in the game that Mr. X can't see.
The Mr. X Factor
Going beyond the board game, there are several different city maps that you can challenge Mr. X on. Available are Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam, New York, as well as the original London maps. There are various settings that you can use to make the game easier or harder for Mr. X, such as changing the number of Black Tickets, Road Blocks, and Helicopters in play.
Scotland Yard DS is great for fans of the board game and has several advantages over the board game. You don't need to set up or clean up and you can play with any number of friends or by yourself against the computer. Overall, it is every bit as fun as the original board game.
