Guide 18 · Ace
Crack your first case in Space
≈ 2 min readVAL 9000, the Cosmohopper 911 Turbo, a fuel gauge instead of a clock, and thirty-two stops across the Solar System.
Where in Space Is Carmen Sandiego? (Brøderbund, 1993) drops the printed reference entirely. In its place is VAL 9000, an onboard computer — “not only is VAL a computer, she's your only company on your lonely voyage,” per the manual — holding space history, science and mythology, plus digitised NASA photographs, criminal dossiers and a log of everywhere you've already been. The chase runs across thirty-two locations: the planets, a long list of moons, the Sun, the asteroid belt and Halley's Comet.
01
Sign in and take the briefing
You check in through the GROK prompt, then the chief gives your current rank, what was stolen, where it was taken, and a Star Date deadline for the capture. Unlike the geographic games, there's a second resource ticking alongside the clock: fuel.
02
Watch the fuel gauge, not just the date
You need enough fuel left in the Cosmohopper 911 Turbo to haul your catch back to Jailhouse Rock. Chase a wrong lead too many times and you run dry before you run out of Star Date, so treat every jump as a real cost, not a free look.
03
Work all five ways to gather a lead
Each stop offers five actions: Question Witness, Tap V.I.L.E. Encrypted Frequencies, Star Search, Contact Informant at the V.I.L.E. Club, and Launch Probe. They don't all turn up something every time, so cycle through what's available before committing fuel to the next hop.
04
Ask VAL directly when a clue names something unfamiliar
VAL's database exists specifically so you don't need a book on your lap, ask about the planet, moon or phenomenon a clue names and she'll place it for you, sarcastic commentary included.
05
File through VAL before you close in
Once your evidence narrows to one suspect, click the warrant icon at the bottom left of the viewport and VAL issues the Warrant Database entry. The manual's warning is explicit: you must have the correct warrant before you catch up with the suspect, arriving without one costs you the arrest.
06
Expect the clues to get harder as you go
After you've put away a few of Carmen's fourteen gang members, later cases hand you deliberately more obscure clues. You start as a Space Cadet and climb seven ranks in all to reach Sun Admiral, and induction into the Hall of Fame waits at the top.