Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective
Encyclopedia
Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective is a full motion video
(FMV) based video game predicated on a book-based game of the same name
. It was first developed by ICOM Simulations
for the FM Towns
computer and later ported to DOS
, Apple Macintosh, Commodore CDTV, TurboGrafx-CD and Sega CD with all versions being distributed on CD-ROM. The game was re-released as a DVD
for use with a standard DVD player and television in 1999.
The game uses live actors and sets as the player controls Sherlock Holmes
and his longtime partner Dr. Watson, trying to solve three separate crimes by visiting various locations, listening to the dialogue, reading the included mock London newspapers, and, when the player gets enough evidence, answering the judge's questions.
to investigate. The object of each case is to gather enough clues in the shortest time possible, then go before a judge who will then ask the player to answer the important questions about the case. If the player is successful, a full motion video clip will take the player back to Holmes' and Watson's study where they will review the events that transpired, and Dr. Watson will inform the player of his or her score, based on the length of time it took to solve the case.
with three new cases to be solved. A third entry
, with three new cases, was also released, albeit not for the Sega CD.
#175 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 5 out of 5 stars.
Full motion video
Full motion video based games are video games that rely upon pre-recorded TV-quality movie or animation rather than sprites, vectors, or 3D models to display action in the game. In the early 1990s a diverse set of games utilized this format...
(FMV) based video game predicated on a book-based game of the same name
Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective
Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective is a book-based game published by Sleuth Publications in 1981. A deluxe edition was released in a leatherette binder; the game was also published in a more traditional boxed version. In 1985, it won the Spiel des Jahres award.Although often thought of as a...
. It was first developed by ICOM Simulations
ICOM Simulations
ICOM Simulations was a software company based in Wheeling, Illinois. It is best known for creating the MacVenture series of adventure games including Shadowgate.Following the foundation in 1983 a number of game titles for the Panasonic JR-200 were produced...
for the FM Towns
FM Towns
The FM Towns system is a Japanese PC variant, built by Fujitsu from February 1989 to the summer of 1997. It started as a proprietary PC variant intended for multimedia applications and PC games, but later became more compatible with regular PCs...
computer and later ported to DOS
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
, Apple Macintosh, Commodore CDTV, TurboGrafx-CD and Sega CD with all versions being distributed on CD-ROM. The game was re-released as a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
for use with a standard DVD player and television in 1999.
The game uses live actors and sets as the player controls Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
and his longtime partner Dr. Watson, trying to solve three separate crimes by visiting various locations, listening to the dialogue, reading the included mock London newspapers, and, when the player gets enough evidence, answering the judge's questions.
Cases
At the beginning of each case a full motion video clip depicts Holmes and Watson meeting a client and learning a few background clues about the case. Then the player must visit a particular location or person, read the London newspapers for clues or ask one of the young Baker Street IrregularsBaker Street Irregulars
The Baker Street Irregulars are any of several different groups, all named after the original, from various Sherlock Holmes stories in which they are a gang of young street children whom Holmes often employs to aid his cases.- Original :...
to investigate. The object of each case is to gather enough clues in the shortest time possible, then go before a judge who will then ask the player to answer the important questions about the case. If the player is successful, a full motion video clip will take the player back to Holmes' and Watson's study where they will review the events that transpired, and Dr. Watson will inform the player of his or her score, based on the length of time it took to solve the case.
The Mummy's Curse
Holmes and Watson learn about a series of mysterious deaths of three men who were part of an archeology trip to Egypt. Each man was found strangled with a sheath of a mummy's wrapping present at each murder. The London Times believes the deaths were caused by an ancient mummy, creating public hysteria. Holmes and Watson decide take on the case to find the real culprit but they face a challenge since only one murder was in London while another was in Egypt and another was at sea.The Mystified Murderess
Francis Nolan is found hovering over the body of her lover, Guy Clarendon, in a London hotel with a pistol in her hand. She's convicted of Guy's murder, despite having no memory of ever being there, nor purchasing the gun that was bought in her name. She insists that she's innocent as Holmes and Watson take on the case to see if she is telling the truth. Along the way, Holmes and Watson learn about Guy Clarendon's dark past.The Tin Soldier
An old general is murdered in his home by a mysterious visitor who quickly vanishes from the scene of the crime. Holmes and Watson investigate to see whether the crime was due to the general's part in a Veteran Tontine, a book he was writing on a missing diamond, or something hidden deep in his past.Sequel
A sequel to the game was also released in 1992 called Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective Vol. IISherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective Vol. II
Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective Vol. II is the title of a full motion video computer game released for the Sega CD, TurboGrafx-CD, and DOS...
with three new cases to be solved. A third entry
Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective Vol. III
Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective Vol. III is the title of a full motion video computer game released for the DOS. The game is a sequel to Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective Vol...
, with three new cases, was also released, albeit not for the Sega CD.
Reception
The game was reviewed in 1991 in DragonDragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#175 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 5 out of 5 stars.