~2 minute readSOFTWARE GALLERY
Sherlock: The Riddle of the Crown Jewels
The Number Two Man Finally Gets His
Time in the Sun
"Come, Watson, the game's afoot!"
How long has it been since you've heard those words? Holmes has been hiding away in his digs, having apparently lost all interest in life since his retirement. Your life has been nothing to rave about either.
But now the Prime Minister has brought you a case that nobody else in the world could possibly solve. To make life even sweeter, Holmes has turned the case over to you. He is going io be your assistant for a change.
There have been several attempts to turn Sherlock Holmes into a computer game. Infocom's is a success because, for the first time, the player is taking on the character of Dr. Watson instead of the great detective. Watson, of course, is a much more likeable character than the moody, overbearing and somewhat manic Holmes. Plus, everything from the artwork on the box to the atmosphere generated by the stunning prose flawlessly recreates the flavor of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's London of the late 1800s. As you wander around the fog-shrouded streets in the dead of night, you'll find yourself looking over your shoulder at every little noise.
The story begins in the predawn hours on a Saturday, outside of Holmes' famous 221B Baker Street address. Before 9 o'clock Monday morning, you'll have visited some of the most historic, and some of the seediest, sites in London. Along the way, you'll suddenly find you're on your own because Holmes has been kidnapped! fortunately, one of the Baker Street Irregulars will help you.
While none of the puzzles in the game is especially difficult, they're all true to the style of the original Sherlock Holmes stories. Most can be solved by using observation and logic; some of the puzzles can only be settled by having a general knowledge of British history. None of the details goes beyond what you probably learned in high school, but some reference material might come in handy. There is one ringer In the game, however—one item you'll need is almost impossible to find unless you've read the Holmes story, A Scandal in Bohemia. Well, not quite impossible.
This is another Infocom story that includes online hints, which is a controversial subject among adventure gamers. Some feel that the mere availability of hints as you're playing is too much of a temptation. However, if you find the temptation too much, you can disable the hints whenever you start playing. As with Infocom's famous Invisiclues, the on-line hints are progressive—they start out being subtle, but end with the outright solution. That way, you can read only as much as you need and no more.
As is usual with Infocom stories, the packaging is half the fun. Included with Sherlock is a facsimile of the "London Thames," a tourist map of the area you'll be exploring and a nifty detective-type key Fob. The newspaper and the instruction booklet both contain vital clues to solving the game—and are a lot of fun to read!
Infocom deserves another feather in their cap for this one. (Infocom, Inc., 125 Cambridgepark Drive, Cambridge, MA 02140. C-64/$34.95.)
—Art Lewis Kimball
Tuscola, IL.
This article appeared in
Run
Aug 1988
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These historical, out-of-print articles and literary works have been GNUSTOed onto InvisiClues.org for academic and research purposes.
