Classic murder-solving board game Cluedo has been given a facelift which has killed off its famous characters.

Old characters like Colonel Mustard and Professor Plum have been replaced by football pundit Jack Mustard and video game billionaire Victor Plum.

The house has been renovated from a stately home into a modern mansion complete with a theatre and spa rather than library and ballroom.

There are also new murder weapons, including a dumbbell and baseball bat.

Miss Scarlet is now movie star Kasandra Scarlet, cook Mrs White is now child star Diane White and Reverend Green is now Jacob Green, "the man on the scene with all the ins".

The game, in which players try to discover who murdered the house's owner, Mr Black, was launched in 1949.

It was invented by a solicitor's clerk called Anthony Pratt, whose original characters wielded bombs and hypodermic needles.

Hasbro spokesman Craig Wilkins said: "We wanted to bring the game bang up to date. The new characters are more in tune with modern society, and with the added touch of a first name, more human."

Can't blame them I guess.. Didn't something similar to this happen with Monopoly? Loads of different versions?

Yes. And they are all ultimately pretty pointless. Excepy Make-Your-Own-Opoly, which is awesome.

Except Make-Your-Own-Opoly, which is Expensive.

FTFY

However, it won't feel like 'real' Cluedo without Colonel Mustard, the antique pistol and other such anachronisms. The dated feel to the game is all part of the fun, something DC Thompson forgot when they destroyed The Beano and The Dandy.

I see nothing wrong with a 'novelty' edition of Cluedo,

Although I didn't think about the marketing side of things with it becoming a "classic" version which makes sense.

Bound to happen, I reckon. Look at the current Monopoly Classic which is actually much more retro than any version of Monopoly that's been on sale for decades.

Miss Whiplash, in the dungeon, with the tawse.

Remeber the Cluedo TV show, featuring Leslie Grantham? It made for the obvious joke, 'it was Leslie Grantham, in the back of a taxi, with a revolver'.

Now we need the Zimbabwean version, with the property worth bugger all, but a loaf of bread going for 100,000...

And after you build a house, you're evicted and somebody else moves in.

Yeah, but you do get to steal the entire board first.

Bet you anything they will drop the knife being a weapon.