Lost Cases of Sherlock Holmes, The
© 2008 Legacy Games
Update 2009: This title as been adapted for the Wii. In addition, 16 new cases have been released for the PC/Mac version. Sixteen fun, yet challenging Sherlock Holmes mysteries wait to be solved in this well-designed detective game, set in Victorian England. Available either as a CD or as a download for $20 from www.legacyinteractive.com, the game is an excellent exercise in deductive reasoning, memory and attention to detail -- all necessary skills for both aspiring detectives and elementary students. Those familiar with Her Interactive's popular Nancy Drew series will find this game easier to play with more variety in the puzzles. After signing in (progress is saved automatically), you choose the first adventure in which you have 25 minutes to find out who took a large emerald. It is easy to pause or get hints if needed -- our testers were able to get through the first level in just 12 minutes. You must identify the differences between two detailed scenes shown side-by-side using a technique similar to many I Spy puzzles. Other activities have you constructing gems by dragging and dropping shapes into place, and matching crooks with associated items, in a test of memory. At the end of each level your score is saved, along with your time, number of moves, hints used and points scores. Testers noted that the music can get repetitive, although it can be turned down in the preferences, and some of the hidden object puzzles make guessing too easy. While the game has an E-10+ rating, we noticed no worrisome content. Any small drawbacks are more than compensated by good design and large variety of puzzles -- over 100 different types, including games of Sudoku, anagrams, shape matching games and jigsaw puzzles. There's no mystery that this is an excellent informal educational game and a great addition to any home or school software library.
$20, Windows, Mac OSX, Wii
Teaches: logic, deductive reasoning, reading, memory, observation
CTR Rating: 92.5%