I’ve been having a great time this morning playing Geotreasure, a new game that challenges you to find a hidden location on a map by solving a series of geographic clues. The game is apparently based on the 'Treasure Island' board game, though I haven’t played the original, so I can’t say how closely it follows the source material.
Each game takes place in one of three cities (currently Paris, London, or San Francisco) - where your goal is to uncover a hidden treasure. To guide your search, you’re given three location-based clues. Solving a clue is as simple as clicking on the spot you believe it refers to. If you guess correctly, you can then define a search area on the map, and the game will tell you whether the treasure is inside that area or not.
By solving clues, you gradually narrow down the possible location of the treasure. Once your search area is small enough, you can dig for it - but be careful! You only have three digs, so you need to be precise.
Overall, Geotreasure is a lot of fun. My only complaint is that there’s no real penalty for getting a clue wrong. Even if you misidentify a location, you can still define a search area, which reduces the incentive to solve the clues correctly. I think some nuance could be added here - for example, the size of the search radius you’re allowed after each clue could depend on how accurately you pinpointed its correct location on the map. This would encourage players to think more carefully about their guesses and add an extra layer of strategy to the game.