The game is afoot!
This extensive series of adventures based on Conan Doyle's classic Victorian detective provides plenty of head scratching mysteries and while this second volume provides some decent moments, it's perhaps not the best entry, a title which could be awarded to the first collection. This one brings together three baffling cases for Holmes and Watson to solve, the first involving the bizarre murders of some circus lions, the second around some stolen paintings and the third coming back to murder, this time of a sadly missed munitions expert. The game is presented through some impressive early FMV sequences which do a fantastic job of bringing to life the grim, gritty and often violent world of Conan Doyle's hero. The player is required to investigate the cases, observing, collecting and analysing every little clue you stumble across, while questioning suspects and witnesses and keeping an eye for red herrings which might lead them astray. The individual cases on display here are never less than entertaining and are certainly in keeping with the game's inspiration, being written in a similar style and being full of colourful characters that could have just strolled from the pages of one of Holmes' cases. The interface is simple and intuitive, so getting into the investigations is easy enough and you can just concentrate on solving the cases without worrying about getting saddled with dodgy controls. The cases themselves are generally quite compelling, certainly challenging and providing plenty for amateur sleuths to get their teeth into, so if you fancy testing yourself against the legend that is Holmes, then check this out.
