Last week I got a chance to play Mystery Express a new game from Days of Wonder. The one sentence description is “like Clue on a train.” While that is the jumping off point, it takes it to the next level.

Instead of 1 set of cards for suspects there are 2 sets. To rule someone out, you have to see both in one turn (or know where they both are). For most of the game, cards shift hands and are then placed in a player’s discard pile. The same is true for the method, motive and location cards. This means that you need to pay attention during other people’s turn to see where cards you give out end up.

The fifth element to solve for is the time of the murder. There are 3 sets of time cards and instead of being in player’s hands, they are shown to you quickly using different methods. If you are a good card counter you can solve it easily.

While I found it enjoyable, I discovered that it is a bad game to play while running a store. If you don’t watch the others’ turns, you will lose track of where cards end up and won’t be able to solve for all five elements. This is a game to sharpen your deductive powers and manage your time. I’d give it a strong 7 out of 10.