Sherlock Holmes 2 Review

Lacking the finesse and general classiness of other adventure game book games on the App Store, Sherlock Holmes 2 is pretty rough round the edges and slightly confusing at first. That mixed quality continues throughout, but it's still quite an interesting read and change of pace for the adventure game book fan.

Providing an original story that uses the characters of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson is always a risky move, but "The Black River Emerald" is quite an interesting story. It doesn't have the depth of the classic novels but I still enjoyed seeing how things developed.

The interactive elements come in the form of quite familiar adventure game book mechanics, thanks to a character sheet and a plentiful supply of choices that must be made. Along the way, clues can be gathered too helping the player determine the culprit in the mystery.

There are vital dice rolls too, which dictate what happens next to the adventurer. These offer three different types of roll: the typical virtual dice roll, as well as picking a number by random either through a selection of cards or by tapping on screen at the relevant moment. It's a small change, compared to the usual method, but mixes things up a bit.

Where Sherlock Holmes 2 falters most is its instructions. It all feels a little convoluted at first and not as self-explanatory as I'd have liked. In the end, throwing one's self in is the best method to figuring things out, but it can be off-putting.

Sherlock Holmes 2 is certainly a little rough, but as a fan of the genre, I still quite enjoyed it. It made a change from the typical fantastical worlds that are usually featured in such games. Don't expect it to have the replay value of something like Tin Man Games's offerings, though.