Mechanics · The series

• The witness clue systemInterviewing witnesses for two kinds of intelligence — where the crook fled, and who they are.
• Issuing the warrantFiling the crook's traits with Interpol — because an arrest only counts when the warrant names the right suspect.
• Rank progression (Rookie to Ace)Solving cases promotes the detective up ACME's ranks, with the toughest assignments — including Carmen — reserved for the top.
• The case clock & travelEvery action burns in-game hours against a deadline, so chasing the crook means spending time wisely.
• The three-source city loopEvery stop boils down to a few places to check, and each kind of place hands you a different piece of the case.
• The stolen treasuresWhat Carmen's gang actually takes, from a Notre Dame gargoyle to a Venusian crater — and where the record runs thin.
• Connection clues, trait clues, and the dead endThe same witness hands you two kinds of clue in the same breath, and only one of them tells you where to fly.
• The boxed reference libraryThe real, commercially published books Brøderbund packed into the box for six of the seven geography and history titles — and the one game that broke the pattern.
• Dossier lookups, game by gameThe database that turns scattered traits into one name changes its face in every title, though the job stays the same.
• Interpol and the warrant clerkFiling a warrant is a paperwork problem before it's a detective one, and the series dresses that paperwork up differently every time.
• Connections, departures, and the clockEvery game spends its deadline differently, from a fixed six days to a fuel gauge that doesn't care what day it is.
• The reference book as a required moveBefore the games had built-in databases, decoding a clue meant physically opening the book Brøderbund put in the box.
• Ranks and difficulty, game by gameEvery title runs its own promotion ladder, and no two use the same number of rungs or the same names.
• The arrest, the wrong warrant, and the clock running outEvery case ends one of three ways, and only one of them actually catches the crook.