DOS

The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Rose Tattoo

I am often an impatient gamer, but the terrific writing in this game made it a pleasure to take my time. Each location is beautifully detailed and very entertainingly described. I wish Electronic Arts would produce six more titles in this excellent series. This game was that good. The sprites are a little woody and jerky, but otherwise this is a stunningly detailed and complex story, fabulous variety of locations and characters, superior writing and game construction. Not to be missed!

However, as the game notes early on, progress always has a way of grinding something under its wheels, and we surely wind up ahead on the trade-offs here. No Rose by any other name could smell as sweet.

Die teilweise knallharten, ironischen Dialoge in überzeugender Sprachausgabe machen Laune, obgleich manchmal reichlich viel gequasselt wird. Wen die mäßige Musikuntermalung beim Denken stört, kann sie abschalten. Mit seinen meist logischen Puzzles und der ansprechenden Präsentation gibt es für den Meisterdetektiv trotz einiger Trägheitsmomente noch vier Sterne.

The Lost Files Of Sherlock Holmes - Case of the Rose Tattoo is the sequel to The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes - The Case of the Serrated Scalpel. Although the characters Sherlock Holmes and John H Watson are created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the story depicted in this game is not based on his work. Despite this, such creative adaptation of one of the world’s most famous fictional detective should offer plenty of intriguing mysteries to fans who yearn for a trial of deductive reasoning. As Holmes himself says, “The game’s afoot.”

It doesn't take great deduction skills to conclude that Sherlock Holmes is a great game. The established characters of Sherlock and Dr. Watson set the stage. A believable and original mystery plot dims the spotlights. And a series of sophisticated puzzles (that don't stand out like a mosh pit at a Yanni concert) raises the curtains on a game which screams, "Showtime!"

However, despite the lack of brainpower expended on the puzzling, The Case of the Rose Tattoo remains one of the more atmospheric and intelligent games in the mystery/adventure genre. It manages to be smart, witty, stylish, immersive, educational and entertaining. But like Charlie confronted with an entire garden of sweets to eat, I recommend consuming Rose Tattoo in small bits over a period of time. The richness of the treat may give you a bellyache if you try to eat too much at once.

The 'Case of the Rose Tattoo' is in itself quite an entertaining adventure game that above all requires listening, keeping your thoughts on track, close observation and drawing logical conclusions, all of which helps the player to better identify with the mastermind because s/he shares his modus operandi. The game recommends itself to all kinds of players - pro and non-pro alike - by its not too difficult puzzles - except for the darts game which could strain some people's patience. Getting into the story, on the other hand, was not that easy for me. Despite its 'explosive' intro, the first third felt rather dull to me and regarding the overall level of suspense and highlights even the further development of the story left a lot to be desired. Although the graphics are not all the rage they are still beautiful to look at and about 30 hours of playing time are not bad either.

Trotz stimmiger Atmospähre weiß die "tätowierte Rose" nicht vollends zu überzeugen, und das liegt vornehmlich an den zähen Dialogen und den ungelenken Animationen. Harte Knobelnüsse? Fehlanzeige. Für Conan Doyle-Fans und Gelegenheitsspieler, die beim Adventure-Trip lieber einen gemächlicheren Gang einlegen, ist Sherlock Holmes 2 allerdings ein gefundenes Fressen.

Elementary, my dear Watson? Not even close. If you have a few dozen hours to kill, check out Electronic Arts' Case of the Rose Tattoo from the Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes series. While figuring out the mystery actually is elementary, solving the case isn't so easy. Sherlock Holmes' brother is injured in a strange explosion during a social function at the Diogenes Club. Was it faulty gas pipes or foul play? That's the question.