Understand the intricacies of solving mysteries with a spoiler-free review of Sherlock Holmes: Four Investigations.

The mystery genre has always appealed to me, whether through movies and TV or books and board games. Solo mystery games can be tricky to come by, though. Fortunately, Sherlock Holmes: Four Investigations, a Graphic Novel Adventure, offers up a unique experience! Read on to see what to expect to find among its many pages!

The Overall Objective and Paths to Victory

It’s no surprise that the goal is to correctly solve every case. Aside from the opening case that acts as a sort of tutorial, the rest may be played in any order. It mostly comes down to personal preference, yet it’s a nice way to offer a choice about how to proceed. Each case has a fairly straightforward path, though there are some decisions to make.

For instance, various subjects may be questioned during each investigation. Typically, only 3-4 of the available questions may be asked. It’s important not to offend someone while still digging for clues. It can be tricky!

Once every investigation is complete, there is a clever mechanic to keep the solutions hidden. Basically, you write down a number for the solution to each case as you solve it. Then, these numbers are added together to reach a final sum. You only know if you got all 4 cases correct. This doesn’t give away where you went wrong, thereby avoiding early spoilers.

Relevant Component Information

It’s just a gamebook, as expected! The character sheet can be bypassed entirely, as it merely tracks solutions to each case and the number of discovered typewriter keys. Hidden numbers are also present, but looking for these little items makes for a fun little side quest! It pays to examine anything and to solve the handful of included puzzles.

There are 324 panels. Not all of them are used, but the vast majority come into play if you manage to work through the clues. It’s a lot of content! Although nothing will change much between plays, getting to the point of correctly solving each case takes a little bit of practice. During my first attempt, I missed a lot of important clues! Classic.

The Reusability of a Graphic Novel Adventure

As with the rest of the Graphic Novel Adventures, Sherlock Holmes: Four Investigations has a somewhat finite lifespan. Once every case is solved, there are no new paths to explore. The mystery draws to a close. However, that journey of figuring everything out is quite memorable and exciting! I had some wonderful moments as I played.

I expect to return to the adventure every year or so, though. There is a bit of appropriately placed humor, along with puzzles I have no chance of memorizing! It’s a fun experience that provides a nice bit of interaction with the cases.

Speaking of the cases, I rate them in terms of most to least enjoyment as follows:

• The Lifeline
• The Cat of Baker Street
• The Scarab of the British Museum
• The Amnesiac of Highgate Woods

Each one still offers up a good mystery, though! None are particularly subpar. It all comes down to personal tastes, though. I believe my first attempt only saw me get 1 or 2 solutions correct. Amateur detective right here. Ha ha!

My Rating of Sherlock Holmes

I’ve played through and fully solved every case at least twice now. The first time I got everything correct was an amazing experience! It was well worth all of my wrong turns and guesses. It’s still difficult to rate something that won’t be unique for long, though. I see this gamebook an old friend whom I can revisit every now and again.

All of the cases are generally appropriate for all ages. There is a single murder, plus a handful of scenes that might not be great for young children. Nothing stands out as unduly violent or inappropriate, though. Just mysteries to solve!

I may know the correct solutions, yet the enjoyment of following clues and asking questions is still there. Besides, I can now ask the unnecessary questions to get horrible reactions out of the suspects. Ha ha! For a gamebook that loses its surprise factor relatively quickly, I still see myself cracking the cases down the line. 

Reusability

Achievement & Enjoyment

7

Variability

Distinctness & Randomness

1

+ Pros (Positives)

• The cases are very different and never feel repetitive since they cover many different types of mysteries.
• Several side quests include challenging puzzles and the collection of typewriter keys from the panels.
• The hidden elements, such as numbers, aren’t obvious but also aren’t too difficult to find.
• The process of solving each case takes a lot of investigating and deducing since the answers aren’t easy.
• A lot of clues come from extensive searching and taking a lot of factors into account.
• It’s simple to pause after completing a case to return to the gamebook at a later time to split up play time.
• The final solution doesn’t reveal the exact solutions so that it’s not obvious where any mistakes were made.
• Although there are not many decisions, there are a few unique paths and the choice to play as Holmes or Watson.
• Each suspect has a number of available questions, yet only a portion of these may be asked during a play.
• The general difficulty level is approachable and challenging at the same time, which makes for a good mystery.

– Cons (Negatives)

• The quality of the binding is disappointing, and my copy started to fall apart after just a few plays.
• Some of the typewriter key puzzles require out-of-game research or don’t seem to have logical answers.
• There is a very limited amount of variability between plays and once the solutions are known, the mystery ends.
• An incorrect solution can be difficult to change after playing again if the right clues can’t be located.

Continue the Conversation

How do you like the mysteries in Sherlock Holmes: Four Investigations? Did you manage to solve all of the puzzles? It’s difficult to find an enjoyable solo mystery, and this gamebook certainly occupies a unique place in my collection! There is a lot to discover throughout the cases. I may not open it up that often, yet I’m glad I can sleuth away at any time!