Sherlock: The Riddle of the Crown Jewels

Adventure Classic Gaming

The atmosphere in this game is great. You meet many of the familiar characters from Sherlock Holmes, including Mrs Hudson, Mycroft, and the "irregular" Wiggins. The game manages to keep the player's attention until the end. A sense of humor is present throughout the story but appropriately wry without resorting to the silliness common in other Infocom titles. The parser provides excellent descriptions of places of importance and makes the story interesting to follow. In a game that is so well written, any addition of graphics to the text only spoils the player's imagination. In solving the puzzles you need to use all of Sherlock's typical gadgets, including his magnifying glass.

Since the game plays more like a treasure hunt, the mystery detailed in the story is just a pretext. There are no suspects to interrogate, hints to analyze, or trails to follow. Exploration is restricted to inside the city of London. Whenever you try to wander around the streets in London, the game answers with phases like "There are too many people: you can't pass." or with unnecessary obstacles that block your path to explore.
-- Francesco Cordella