Guide 10 · Rookie
Crack your first case in the U.S.A.
≈ 2 min readThe Crime Computer, the fifty states plus D.C., and how the Qualification Quiz actually gates your rank.
Where in the U.S.A. Is Carmen Sandiego? (Brøderbund, 1986) keeps the original loop but moves it home: Carmen has “escaped from a European prison and is now in the United States, assembling a gang of toughs,” and it's your job to track her and them down. The villain is “hiding out in a city in one of the 50 states or in the District of Columbia,” per the game's own manual, and your reference book is a real Fodor's USA travel guide instead of an almanac.
01
Take the briefing and watch the Crime Computer's clock
The chief opens the case with what was stolen and where. The manual's own instruction is blunt about the stakes: “Watch the clock and note the deadline indicated by the Crime Computer at the beginning of each game.” That clock is your whole budget, so don't burn it wandering.
02
Investigate all three locations
Every stop gives you a window with exactly three places to check: “A window will be displayed containing three specific locations for you to investigate. Simply click the one that you want.” Clear all three before you fly anywhere, you get destination clues and identity clues mixed across them.
03
Sort the two clue types
Destination clues can name the city directly or just the state it's in, so a clue may leave you narrowing a whole state before the exact city. Identity clues describe the thief; the manual says plainly, “you'll log these clues into the Crime Computer,” so treat every trait as data to enter, not just flavor text.
04
Work the Crime Computer, don't just glance at it
The Crime Computer takes sex, hair colour, favourite food, favourite sport, hobbies and musical preferences. Click each characteristic to cycle its choices until they match what your witnesses told you, then let it run, a contemporary review notes several in-game hours pass before it reports back. If your traits still fit more than one suspect, no warrant is issued, the game instead lists every suspect who still matches, telling you exactly which trait to go chase next.
05
Close in once the warrant is filed
A warrant is only good once the Crime Computer has narrowed the traits to a single name. Arrive at the crook's city with that warrant on file and the arrest goes through; arrive without one, or with the wrong name attached, and the trip was wasted.
06
Mind the Qualification Quiz
Promotion isn't automatic. The manual: “Before being promoted to each new level, you must pass a Qualification Quiz using Fodor's USA travel guide included in the package. You will have three chances to answer correctly.” Miss all three and you have to solve another case before the quiz comes around again — ten levels stand between you and Super Sleuth, so keep the book within reach.