Board games BOARD GAMES

221B Baker Street

In case you don’t know, 221b Baker Street is the address of Sherlock Holmes, and this game, named after that famous address, was a great way to play at being the worlds most famous detective.

Released in 1975, and for 2 – 6 players an average game takes 90 minutes. And it is 90 minutes of fun. We could play this for hours, in fact if my Dad wanted to “stimulate our brains” as he put it, he’d turn off the TV and get this game out – and we rarely complained (unless Knight Rider was on – though he never took it our when Knight Rider was on because he also loved Knight Rider!)

221b Baker Street really pays homage to Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick, Dr Watson – and the game is basically a cross between 'Cluedo' and a crossword puzzle, with each player becoming Holmes and using their powers of deduction to solve intriguing and complex cases.

The player starts at 221B Baker Street and travels through the streets and alleys of London picking up cryptic clues and attempting to solve the most intriguing cases Holmes and Watson have ever faced. The game contains 20 cases and each case is represented by a card that features a crime told in story form, a selection of probable suspects and a list of locations involved in that crime. It is very important to remember that some of these details will be red herrings to lead you off the scent!

Once you can remember the complex details of each case it is recommended you read the case twice out loud AGAIN (!) before beginning - although you can refer back to it at any time. According to the box - the intriguing cases, were written by professional mystery writers – so they are the real deal!

Game fact: The Brazilian version of this game is known as Scotland Yard, not to be confused with the 1983 Spiel des Jahres winner also called Scotland Yard.


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Do You Remember 221B Baker Street?

Do You Remember 221B Baker Street?

  • Anonymous user
    on
    We have this, and the two expansion packs of extra cases! It meant that we never had to replay any and fall foul to my father's memory powers. On a separate note, we also had the 1983 Scotland Yard game.
  • Anonymous user
    on
    Never heard of this ne, but it sounds great and as a board game addict, I'll see if I can get hold of one on eBay. For those who don't know, 221b Baker Street doesn't in fact exist in reality- there's 221a, but where Homes's legendary address should be there are shops instead.