Reading the case clock

Carmen Sandiego is a race against a clock, not a fight. The crook is always one step ahead; your job is to reach the final city before your deadline expires. Understanding what spends time is the difference between a clean arrest and watching the trail go cold.

What the clock is

At the briefing you are given a deadline, a fixed amount of in-game time to close the case. In the 1985 original that window is roughly a work week. Every case is winnable inside it, but only if you do not waste hours.

What spends time

• Travel. Flying between cities is the single biggest cost. Longer flights cost more in-game hours, and a flight to the wrong city is doubly expensive because you still have to fly back to the trail.
• Investigating. Visiting the locations in a city and talking to witnesses takes time too, though far less than a wrong flight.
• Night. The early games advance through day and night, and some clue locations keep business hours, so part of your time simply passes.

How to waste less

• Gather all three clues in a city before you fly, so you only make the trip once.
• Never fly on a single ambiguous clue. Confirm the destination with a second clue or the reference book first; a wrong flight can cost you the case.
• File the warrant as soon as the traits allow, so you are never held up at the final city sorting out the suspect while the clock runs down.