On each episode, three contestants (10–14 years of age) answered geography-related trivia questions to determine the location of one of
Carmen Sandiego's cronies and eventually Carmen herself. The contestants assumed the role of newly hired investigators at ACME Crimenet, a
private detective agency, and were referred to as "
gumshoes," while Lee's title was "Special Agent in Charge of Training New Recruits" (seasons 1 and 2, upgraded to "Senior Agent" beginning in season 3).
Round One The Chief briefed Lee and the gumshoes on a recent crime (the theft of a world landmark or something closely associated with a particular city/country) and its perpetrator. Each gumshoe began the game with 50 ACME Crime Bucks and attempted to earn more by answering questions that served as clues to the crook's whereabouts. For each question, they were shown three possible locations on a map and secretly chose one each; a correct answer awarded 10 Crime Bucks, with no penalty for a miss. Various elements of this round included: •
Phone Tap / World Band Radio: Gumshoes heard more clues to the crook's location in the form of either a phone call between Carmen and the crook, or a snippet of a foreign radio broadcast. •
Word on the Street: Lee stepped outside the office to find the members of Rockapella talking about a foreign word chalked on the pavement and offering clues associated with it. •
Training Exercise (season 5 only): Each gumshoe was given a trash can that held a card marked with the flag of a particular country and a one-word prompt, and had to dig it out and put the lid back on the can as quickly as possible. Lee then read three clues based on the prompts, and the gumshoes answered in the order that they had completed the exercise. The first one to choose the correct country earned 10 Crime Bucks. •
Lightning Round: Three multiple-choice questions were asked, all relating to the crook's last known location. The gumshoes had to buzz in to respond, and a correct answer awarded five Crime Bucks. • '''Chief's Office''': After the Lightning Round, the Chief called Lee into her office for a brief conference. This was used as a comedy break, during which the Chief and Lee engaged in a brief skit, usually brought to a close by either announcing the show's grand prize of a trip to anywhere in the continental United States (seasons 1 and 2) or in North America (starting in season 3), or by announcing the details or winners of a home viewer contest (also starting in season 3). This segment ended with the Chief's brusque dismissal of Lee: "Go away!" •
The Chase (beginning in season 2): Five toss-up questions were asked, serving as clues to locations that indicated a path the crook was following. As in the Lightning Round, gumshoes buzzed in to respond and earned five Crime Bucks per correct answer. This segment was introduced with a brief chase skit performed by Rockapella comically running across the stage, sometimes accompanied by others, including Lee, the Chief, some stagehands, and even members of the studio audience. The round ended with the
Final Clue, in which the gumshoes were shown a map of three locations and secretly decided how much of their scores they wanted to wager (0 to 50 Crime Bucks, in increments of 10). The clues were then presented and the gumshoes chose their answers; a correct guess added the gumshoe's wager to their score, while a miss deducted it. The lowest scorer after the Final Clue was eliminated from the game and received a consolation prize. If the round ended in a tie for second place, Lee read clues to the identity of a famous person or place (the latter often a US state). Gumshoes could buzz in as soon and as often as they wanted; the first to give the correct answer scored five Crime Bucks and advanced. In the event of a three-way tie, two such tiebreakers were played and the winners advanced.
Round Two: Jail Time Challenge Following a briefing by the Chief on the Final Clue location, the two remaining gumshoes were shown a board of 15
trilons, each displaying the name of a different landmark within one of its cities. Hidden behind three of the trilons were the day's stolen loot, an
arrest warrant, and the crook him/herself; the other 12 revealed only shoe prints when chosen, indicating that nothing was there. The higher-scoring gumshoe (or the winner of a coin toss, in case of a tie) had first choice from the board. The gumshoes then alternated turns until one of them found all three of the key items in the required order: • First, the
loot, the evidence required for the warrant. • Second, the
warrant to arrest the crook. • Third, the
crook him/herself. Finding any item awarded an extra turn, but if a gumshoe found an item out of order (e.g. finding the warrant first), Lee would remind them of the proper sequence. A turn ended when a gumshoe either failed to find an item, or uncovered all three in an incorrect order. The first gumshoe to find all three items in order won the game and advanced to the bonus round, pulling a ring on a chain rope to arrest the crook. The losing gumshoe received a consolation prize. If a gumshoe won the game on their first turn, without any items being previously uncovered, a $100 savings bond was hidden behind one of the other 12 spaces and they were given five chances to find and win it.
Bonus Round: Carmen's World Map The winning gumshoe secretly wrote down a destination they wanted to visit if they won the grand prize, then received a phone call from the apprehended crook informing them of Carmen's whereabouts: a certain continent (Asia, Africa, Europe, South America) or the United States (expanded to all of North America in season 3). The Chief read a list of 13 possible locations, each of which would be highlighted on a computer-drawn map for the home viewers' benefit. Lee and the gumshoe then moved to a giant unlabeled map that covered the entire floor in front of the studio audience. The map showed small red circles denoting particular cities, and later added further markings for bodies of water or national monuments. To capture Carmen, the gumshoe had to identify seven different locations on the map (eight beginning in season 2) within 45 seconds. As Lee read out each location, the gumshoe had to pick up a pole-mounted strobe light and place it on that spot. The light activated and a brief siren sounded to indicate a correct guess, while a buzzer sounded on a miss and the gumshoe was given a second chance. If the gumshoe missed again, they had to leave the light where it was and go on to the next location. Completing the round won the trip to the chosen destination and a promotion to the rank of Sleuth, while failing to do so won a consolation prize. ==Characters==