Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective (gamebook)
| Publisher(s) | Sleuth Publications |
|---|---|
| Publication date | 1981 |
| Language(s) | English |
| Media type |
Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective is a game published by Sleuth Publications in 1981. In Germany, it won the Spiel des Jahres ("Game of the Year") award in 1985.
Premise and gameplay
In the game, the players (or play) reads a brief introduction to a case, then decides where to look for clues, and consults a booklet telling what clues are found at that location. When a player believes he or she knows the details of the case, the player moves on to the quiz book and answers questions about the case. Payer earn points by answering questions correctly, but loses points for each location visited beforehand.
The game is made up of booklets, maps, a clue-filled reproduction of The Times and a small directory telling the player which London locale to visit to speak to a character. Lacking a board, it functions as a hybrid between a traditional gamebook and a conventional tabletop game.
The game contains ten scenarios and two expansion packs The Mansion Murders (containing five adventures) and West End Adventures (containing six adventures), in 1983 and 1995, respectively. The scenarios "The Queen's Park Affair", "Adventures by Gaslight" and "Sherlock Holmes & the Baby" were printed in specialty publications.
The original game was packaged in a paperboard box; the deluxe edition was bound in a leatherette binder.
Gumshoe, the Hardboiled Detective in the Thirties (1985) has a similar premise and premise. Here, the player assumes the role of a detective in 1930s San Francisco. Clues are found in city maps, mug shots, fingerprints, newspapers and crime reports.
Adaptations and reprints
ICOM Simulations adapted Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective into a video game, also called Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective, which they published in 1991. Two sequels followed in 1992 and 1993, respectively.
Ystari Games published a French version of the game in 2011. The was translated into English in 2012 and subsequently reprinted in 2015. Ystari has released expansions, some newly written by French authors and others taken from the The Queen's Park Affair and The Mansion Murders sets.