The National Library & Archives Board (NLB), which runs Singapore’s public libraries, launched A S.U.R.E. Mystery at Tampines Library on 17 October 2026. The four-part detective game is running at 16 public libraries islandwide and online until March 2027. If you’ve ever stared at a forwarded screenshot in the family group chat and wondered whether it’s real, this one is built for you, because every mission trains you to check the evidence before you believe the story.
The timing matters for anyone keen to play along. NLB is releasing a new case every few weeks, so starting with the first one now means you won’t be cramming four mysteries into a panicked weekend in March.
The Case of the Missing Manuscript
NLB unveiled the first mission at the Tampines launch, and the set-up is pleasingly bookish. A rare first edition manuscript has vanished from a book shop, and you’re the one asked to work out who took it. A library staging a heist at a book shop is a cheeky bit of self-awareness, and it suits a game that rewards reading closely!
The mission is officially titled Case of the Missing Manuscript.
The live sessions take the case off the wall. An NLB photo from one session shows a presenter in a green blazer standing beside a screen titled “Investigation Dossier: The Manuscript Theft”, with suspect cards laid out for participants gathered on the library steps.
Seeing the suspects as cards on a big screen turns the mystery into a proper briefing. It also hints at the lesson underneath the game, which is that nobody should be named the culprit on a hunch.
Cluedo Energy, Library Setting
NLB says the game takes its cue from Cluedo, the classic board game where you guess who did it, where and with what, and Murdle, the deduction puzzle series. Each mission asks you to study an illustrated crime-scene display at the library, weigh up the evidence, and then submit your deduction online.
That split is the clever part of the design. You do the looking in person and the answering on your phone, so a quick library stop can become a case you finish on the MRT (Singapore’s metro) ride home.
The release schedule works in the game’s favour, too. With fresh missions arriving through to March 2027, the whole thing plays out like a slow-burn series, giving you a reason to drop by your branch again long after the first case is closed.
Why a Detective Game Matters
Swap “suspect” for “viral post” and the skill set barely changes. You find out where a claim came from, check whether its details line up, and refuse to settle on an answer the evidence doesn’t support.
That’s why a whodunit beats yet another slideshow about fake news. Nobody enjoys a media-literacy lecture, but plenty of people will happily argue over who swiped a manuscript, and a game lets you be wrong safely before the stakes are a real headline.
The audience stretches well past grown-up true-crime fans. NLB’s session photos show children and adults seated side by side on tiered wooden steps, so this outing works whether you’re bringing a younger sibling, your parents, or your own kids.
Four Missions, One Bookmark Set
Completionists get something to hold at the end. A sign at the mission display invites visitors to solve all four missions to collect the complete set of A S.U.R.E. Mystery bookmarks.
It turns finishing the series into a souvenir you’ll use, and a magnifying glass is the right shape to mark your place in your next borrowed thriller.
Our pick for getting the most out of it is to start with Case of the Missing Manuscript, then catch each new case as it lands, since solving them as they arrive lets you argue theories with friends in real time.
🗓️ Date: 17 October 2026 to March 2027
📍 Location: 16 public libraries islandwide and online (launched at Tampines Library)
🔍 Format: Four missions, with a new one released every few weeks
📱 How to play: Examine the illustrated crime-scene display, weigh the evidence, and submit your deduction online
📖 Mission 1: Case of the Missing Manuscript, a rare first edition stolen from a book shop
🔖 Bonus: Solve all four missions to collect the complete bookmark set
The manuscript is still missing and the suspects are waiting, so pick your nearest participating library, bring a friend who loves a good argument, and open the case file on Mission 1. With three more mysteries due by March 2027, according to the National Library & Archives Board, every library visit becomes practice for the next too-good-to-be-true headline in your feed, and that’s a habit worth keeping long after the final culprit is named!
Photos and Visuals courtesy of National Library & Archives Board.
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