Sherlock Holmes - Nemesis
The previous Sherlock Holmes game produced by The Adventure Company, Sherlock Holmes - The Awakened
had you lurking about dark docks and secret passageways, had bloody sacrifices and carried an "M" rating.
This one is a milder, more elegant engagement throughout historical and cultured London with an E+10 rating.
The dandy Nemesis on the box cover is Arsène Lupin,
a gentlemen burglar who has challenged Holmes to prevent him from stealing, in five days,
five objects that so embody England that their theft will not only be a misfortune but a humiliation.
Holmes responds with both anticipation and admiration - a worthy opponent.
Lupin goes about his merry ways, leaving poetic clues and lifting objects
just before Holmes can get there to stop him.
Game play involves discovering the clues as to where the next heist will be,
and once there, discovering how the heist was done.
Lupin, a literary character in his own right (22 books by Maurice Leblank)
comes across a little like the Pierce Brosnan character in The Thomas Crown Affair,
and there is a similar piece of business where water washes a painting off to reveal another.
One of the real pleasures of the game is the ability to wander around The National Gallery,
The British Museum, The Tower of London and Buckingham Palace.
Images, objects and interiors are painstakingly rendered - even identified by Holmes acting as docent.
You play mostly as Holmes, occasionally as Watson, once as Lestrade.
The characters are puppet-like, gesturing mostly from the waist up,
but then Sherlock Holmes is not exactly an action figure.
That is until the endgame were you can fail - but like a Nancy Drew game, you are given a second chance.
The game is very linear. You have to wait for Holmes to notice the next clue - and
then you must click on it before proceeding to the next.
Some puzzles are inventory and construction based, others involve ciphers,
numbers and in one occasion bird sounds and whistles.
None are time based. If stuck, Google a walkthrough.
The game feels more coherent than the previous one,
and the battle of wits between debonair Lupin and stoic Holmes,
with Lupin teasing the older detective makes you want to take out a book by Maurice Leblank.
A game that encourages reading - or perhaps a sequel?
Reviewed by: Editor - 05/08
Ages: Everyone 10+
Fun Factor: A great tour through England's famous places.
Female Factor: Non-existent - two middle-aged bachelors.
Player Friendly: Unlimited saves, helpful journals.