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My brother got a copy of the newly-released game, Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silver Earring. I’ve been making my way through the game, it’s great! It doesn’t have the best graphics but the plot and the game really makes up for it. Both my brother and I loved the previous Sherlock Holmes game The Case of the Rose Tattoo (which we still haven’t completed! I wonder where the game is now). This is my mini-review of The Case of the Silver Earring.

The Silver Earring game is slightly different from the previous ones. Everything is in 3D. You get to walk around mostly as Sherlock, questioning people, examining rooms for items, analyzing the evidence back at Baker St. There are all sorts of interesting characters, including ones that appeared in previous games. Sherlock is a private dectective, and not a member of the Police force, so he gets to break the law if he needs to. I don’t always like Sherlock Holmes, but he is very smart.

Once you are in a certain place, you are not allowed to leave it until you gather all the evidence that you’re supposed to. If you think you’ve got everything and you try to exit, Holmes (or Watson) will say “I need more information” and you have to stay there to find it. It annoyed me at first, but it really is better than before, because you’re told if you’re not finished yet. You don’t have to wander from place to place looking for whatever you’re missing.

Another thing about the game is that at the end of each ‘chapter’, there is a quiz for you to complete. You are asked 5 questions, and you have to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and justify it with evidence like objects you picked up or testimony from people. It’s this neat way to summarize the past events of the game, although I can never get the quizzes perfect! (I have to resort to going to the message board for answers.) The quizzes force you to go carefully through each piece of evidence. And there is a lot of evidence, and a lot of reading to do.

What bothers me is I’ve gotten through a good portion of the game. Sherlock is clearly thinking something, but I have no clue about anything! And we’re both looking at the exact same evidence! :p

Right now, I’m in Ashton Theatre, and I’m STUCK!!

- Getting past the dog and the guard in the CementWorks was the toughest part of the whole game. I would save right after Sherlock and Holmes climb over the ladder. If you’re caught, the game ends, so you have to be able to get back to try again. It may have been just luck, but getting to Grimble’s office was much easier (2 tries) than getting from Grimble’s office to the Fairfax Theatre (at least 2 dozen tries).

- Holmes can run! You have to double-click.

- Some objects don’t become ‘alive’ until after you do something else.

Classical music from the game