Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective
| Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Computer and video game series | |
| developer | ICOM simulations |
| Publisher | ICOM Simulations Victor Musical Industries Fujitsu Interactive Sega |
| Designer | David Marsh |
| First title | Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective (1991) |
| Last title | Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective Vol. III (1993) |
| Platform (s) | Apple Macintosh , CDTV , DOS , FM Towns , iOS , Microsoft Windows , PC-Engine , Sega Mega-CD , Tandy VIS |
| Genre (s) | Adventure ( interactive film ) |
| information | 1991–1993 on CD-ROM 1999 on DVD 2012 as mobile app |
Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective is a series of three computer games that were developed by the US company ICOM Simulations from 1991. The first part of the series, which was initially released for the PC , is considered the first interactive multimedia PC game on CD-ROM . Each part of the series contains adaptations of three cases of the board game Sherlock Holmes Criminal-Cabinet
publication
In 1991 the first part was published for Sega Mega-CD , PC Engine , CDTV , MS-DOS , Tandy Video Information System , Fujitsu FM Towns and Apple Macintosh . The second and third parts followed in 1992 and 1993. The sales price in Germany was initially 179 DM. In 1999 the first part of Infinite Ventures for DVD players was re-released
In 2012, the former ICOM designer David Marsh and his company Zojoi tried to get funding for a new edition of the entire series of nine criminal cases for PC, Mac, iOS and Android on the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter.com . However, the project failed to reach the planned total of $ 55,000. Regardless of this, the three cases of the first part of the series for Apple iOS and Microsoft Windows were released in the same year . David Marsh then stated that the funding was already secure before the kickstart campaign. But they wanted to attract attention for the new release.
description
The player takes on the role of the detective Sherlock Holmes and has to solve three criminal cases per episode. Using information from the videos and the mini newspaper pages enclosed in the package, the player must identify the perpetrators and then explain the case to a judge by simply answering questions.
Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective
- The Mummy's Curse
Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson learn from the newspaper about three men who were found strangled in quick succession after they were last on an expedition together in Egypt. Stripes of mummy bandages were found at each of the three crime scenes, so that the Times suggests that a millennia-old mummy followed them to London to seek revenge. As hysteria developed, Holmes and Watson took over the investigation.
- The Tin Soldier
An old general is murdered in his own home by a mysterious visitor. After the visitor seems to have disappeared without a trace immediately after the fact, Holmes and Watson investigate whether the general's involvement in a tontine for vertebrates, the unfinished book about a missing diamond on which he had last written, or whether a broken marriage or a secret from his past played a role in this crime.
- The Mystified Murderess
A young woman is charged with the murder of her lover after she is found in a hotel with a gun in hand near his body. However, she asserts that she did not commit the crime. She couldn't remember the hotel or how she got hold of the gun. Holmes and Watson trace a trace of the victim's apparently dark past.
Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective, Vol. II
- The Two Lions
Sherlock Holmes finds a note at his door that leads him to investigate the deaths of two lions that were part of a roaming animal show. At the same time, a mysterious death occurred that appears to be related to it.
- The Pilfered Paintings
Just a few days before they are to be shown to the public for the first time in an exhibition, paintings by an artist who has only just achieved fame are stolen from the National Gallery. The very unusual circumstances in which the gallery acquired the paintings make the case an even greater mystery.
- The Murdered Ammunition Magnate
A wealthy industrialist who owned an arms factory was shot dead in the street not far from his office. Scotland Yard suspects a robbery as items of greater value are stolen that he was carrying at the time of the crime. However, Holmes and Watson come across a secret armaments project in which his company was involved and suspect a connection.
Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective, Vol. III
- The Solicitous Solicitor
Melvin Tuttle, a recently promoted attorney, dies suddenly of a heart attack. However, Scotland Yard suspects that he has been poisoned and asks Holmes for assistance. Tuttle was reputed to have had numerous affairs, including with his employer's wife.
- The Banker's Final Debt
Oswald Mason is killed by a burglar in his house. Fearing that the crime could be related to his work in the Treasury, the Chancellor of the Exchequer asks Sherlock Holmes to investigate the case further.
- The Thames Murders
Within a short time, five bodies are pulled from the Thames. At a loss, Scotland Yard turns to Holmes and Watson to help them find a connection between the five deaths.
technology
Each of the three parts appeared on a CD-ROM with 90 minutes of video sequences by real actors in English using full-motion video technology (FMV), which can be played in a large window in the center of the screen. The hardware requirements were relatively low, a simple CD-ROM drive (single-speed) was sufficient.
The graphics were relatively pixelated by today's standards and, in addition to the videos, also contained graphics in the standard VGA resolution (320 × 200 pixels ). Despite the limited play options, the series was internationally successful.
Web links
- Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective at MobyGames (English)
- Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective Adventure Mysteries. In: kickstarter.com . April 28, 2012, accessed May 30, 2013 .
- ^ John Walker: Sherlock Holmes Kickstarter Fails, But Games Will Appear. In: Rock, Paper, Shotgun. April 30, 2012, accessed May 30, 2013 .