A Fun Way to Learn United States Geography.
Carmen Sandiego is appearing and disappearing in America's best selling geography game. This edition is specially designed for ages 8 and up, and is sure to increase their knowledge of United States geography. Features gameplay so intriguing that your kids won't notice how much they're learning!
Carmen and her gang of V.I.L.E. henchman are headed for the States. Landmarks from around the nation have vanished. Your assignment is to locate the Warrant, the Loot, and the Henchman. Then work with the other players to catch Carmen. Ages 8 and up.
Parents Choice Award Winner!
National Parenting Publications Award
Instructions
The objective is to uncover the locations of a matching set of cards-a Warrant Card, a Loot Card, and a Crook Card of the same color.
Contents:
Game Board
224 Question Cards
24 Color-Coded Clue Cards: 8 Warrant, 8 Loot, 8 Crook
6 Playing Pieces
50 Capital Tokens
Parents' Summary of Rules
Player 1 reads a question to the player on his/her left (Player 2). Player 2 either answers the question or asks for multiple choice options. Correct answers without the choices allow Player 2 to move 5 spaces; correct answers using the choices allow Player 2 to move 3 spaces. Player 2 does not move if he/she answers incorrectly, and the player to his/her left has the option of answering. Play passes to the left.
Players move to reach landmarks. Upon reaching a landmark, players secretly look at the card on that landmark's box. If the card is a Warrant or Loot, the player returns it face up to the landmark's box. If the card is a Crook, the player returns if face down to the landmark's box. To make an accusation, players move to a landmark with a face up Warrant Card, then list, in order, the locations of that Warrant and its matching Loot and Crook. If the accusation is true, the accusing player wins the game and all players work together to catch Carmen (see "Catching Carmen," below). If the accusation is false, the accusing player removes the Warrant that was used in that accusation form the board. If all eight Warrants are removed from the game before a true accusation is made, the game is over and the elusive Carmen Sandiego wins.
Set Up
1. Before playing the first time, punch out the Clue Cards and Capital Tokens. Set aside the Capital Tokens; they are used at the end of the .
2. Shuffle all three types of Clue Cards together, then place one Card face down (so that the back Carmen logo shows) on each of the Landmark Boxes along the top and bottom of the game board.
3. The youngest player chooses which questions players will use for this game---either red, blue, or black. There is no difference in difficulty of subject matter among these different colored questions.
4. From youngest to oldest, each player chooses a playing piece and places it on any vacant landmark on the board. At the start of the game, only one piece is permitted per landmark.
Reading and Answering Questions
Each player is an Acme agent, searching famous landmarks for clues. To start the game, the agent to the youngest agent's right picks the top card and reads a question to the youngest agent. After hearing a question, agents either answer or ask for multiple choice options. When agents ask for multiple choice options, the reader reads the three choices below the question. Agents must answer a question every time it is their turn. Agents may consult the map to answer questions. Play passes to the left.
Correct Answers/Movement
Correct answers are shown in bold. When agents answer correctly without multiple choice options, they may move their pieces up to 5 spaces. Correct answers after hearing the multiple choice options allow agents to move up to 3 spaces. Agents may move horizontally, vertically, and/or diagonally. After finishing their turn, agents pick the top card and read a question to the agent on their left. Other than when pieces are placed on the board at the start of the game, agents' pieces may share the same space.
After reaching a "Fly to Alaska" or "Fly to Hawaii" space, moving to the "Arrive From Lower 48" or "Arrive From Mainland" spaces counts as 1 space. Agents may fly to Hawaii or Alaska from the East and return to the West, or visa versa. Agents may pass through Hawaii or Alaska as a shortcut. The only way to reach Alaska and Hawaii is via the "Fly to" spaces; agents may not cross the double lines that separate these states from the lower 48 states.
Incorrect Answers
When agents answer incorrectly, the agent to their left (the "back-up agent") may either answer the question or pass. If the first agent used multiple choice options, the back-up agent may ask to hear the choices again, and earns 3 spaces for a correct answer. If the first agent did not use multiple choices, the back-up agent may either earn 5 spaces for answering correctly without multiple choices or earn 3 spaces for answering correctly with multiple choices.
Instead of answering, back-up agents may declare "I pass." When a back-up agent passes, the first agent picks the top card and reads a new question to the back-up agent.
It counts as a turn when back-up agents answer questions. When back-up agents answer incorrectly, their turn is over. They pick the top card and read a question to the agent on their left. Do not use this rule when only two agents are playing.
Landmarks and Landmark Boxes
Each landmark on the map has a matching Landmark Box that contains a Clue Card. Landmark Boxes are close to the position of their landmarks. The only way to look at the Clue Cards in Landmark Boxes is to reach that landmark on the map. Agents may not move off the map to reach Landmark Boxes.
Clue Cards: Warrant, Loot, and Crook
When agents reach a landmark, they secretly look at the Clue Card that rests on that landmark's Landmark Box. There are three types of Clue Cards in the game: Warrant Cards, Loot Cards, and Crook Cards. When agents pick up a Warrant or Loot, they return the card to the Landmark Box with the Warrant of Loot face up. Then agents pick up a Crook Card, they look at the card, memorize it, and return it to the Landmark Box face down, without showing it to any other agent. After returning the card, agents pick the top question card and read a quesition to the agent on their left.
Each of the three Clue Cards in a set feature the same Crook and the same color (for example, the orange Warrant Card, the orange Loot Card, and the Orange Crook Card all say "Vic the Slick").
Making An Accusation
The object of the game is to discover the location of a complete set of three Clue Cards--the Warrant, the Loot, and the Crook--and make a true accusation. Any agent who earns enough spaces to move to a landmark with a face up Warrant may make an accusation using that Warrant. To make accusations, agents call out, in order, the landmarks that contain the Warrant, the Loot, and the Crook. As they call out these landmarks, they pick up the cards from these land.
Teaching geography and getting a geography education is a lot easier with the help of these geography games and activities for kids, geography textbooks, and geography curriculums for kids in grades 1-12. Materials include geography lesson plans for teachers and geography lessons for students. |
