A thief is fleeing across the world, follow the trail of clues and unmask the culprit.
Witnesses at each stop drop hints about where the thief went next and what they look like. Read the clues, pick the country that matches, and chase the suspect from city to city, then accuse the right person before they get away.
The Caper blends world geography with detective deduction, narrowing down a location from clues about its places and culture.
Chasing a thief city to city on clues from witnesses is Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?, released by Broderbund on 23 April 1985 — the first game in the franchise, and famously shipped with a copy of The World Almanac that you genuinely needed to play it.
Clues about where the suspect went next, and separately about what they look like, are the original's two tracks, kept here.
Bundling the almanac was the design's best idea. The clues describe a country by its currency, its flag or its exports rather than naming it, so the game could not be solved from inside itself — which made the reference book part of the play rather than a manual.
The Caper is an original, free browser game that blends world geography with deductive detective work. Play instantly with nothing to install.