This departure from the basic Columbo script works out well, for once. For reasons not revealed here, Columbo's singular murder suspect has to be dropped from consideration. From then on, the show becomes more like a classical whodunit. After some twists and turns, the conclusion has Columbo in a room full of potential culprits, smoking out the guilty one. Columbo is as clever, adept, and at home with this tactic as in his usual one-on-one battles. And there's no skimping on the touches that make "Columbo" a unique and special detective show.