<!--
	Title: (SOFTWARE GALLERY) Sherlock: The Riddle of the Crown Jewels
	Author: Art Lewis Kimball
	Source: Run, v5(8)
	Date: August 1988
	Transcription by Steve Derby
-->

<div style="color: #004488; font-weight: bold; padding: 0.25em; float: right; font-size: 2em;">A</div>

<blockquote style="margin: 1em inherit; font-size: 1.25em; font-style: italic;">The Number Two Man Finally Gets His<br>
	Time in the Sun</blockquote>

"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.)*

<p class="bold right" style="font-variant: small-caps;">—Art Lewis Kimball<br>Tuscola, IL.</p>
