Sherlock Holmes v Jack the Ripper

"Elementary, my dear Watson" you'd expect Sherlock Holmes to say* when confronted with the case of the Whitechapel murders of 1888. Yet he couldn't be further from the truth if Sherlock Holmes versus Jack the Ripper is anything to go by.

You control the famous detective as well as his loyal colleague, Dr Watson, as you gather the clues and witnesses necessary to solve this legendary case. Unfortunately, the series of puzzles the duo are required to complete quickly become so difficult and abstract that only the most patient of players would be able to resist a quick glance at a walkthrough on the many occasions that you become stuck.

It's a game of opposites, really. 19th century Whitechapel is lovingly recreated and, as someone who lives not far from the district, feels realistic and true. Yet the voice acting is beyond awful. Only the two protagonists actually sound like real people and there is barely an East End accent to be found. The storyline is well thought out and suitably archaic to remain interesting throughout, while the script is funny and charming. Yet the puzzles are often such an exact science with so little prompting as to be almost impossible.

It's almost a shame that this game has a 16 rating, due to the violence on display, as the game is actually quite useful as an educational tool. Being based on factual evidence, albeit it starring a fictional detective, it makes for a fascinating storyline. Though a little gory, the corpses are quite cartoonish when Holmes comes to study them and the most terrifying part that I found was when forced to cage a live snake (I warned you the plot was archaic). However, since the subject matter covers prostitution, murder, venereal disease and even racial tensions between the citizens of Whitechapel, it was difficult to see how this could be avoided.

The game controls quite well, considering that this is the first of the series that has been adapted for the Xbox 360 and offers something quite different for the platform. But some of the puzzles are quite fiddly to negotiate using a control pad rather than a mouse and, being considerably cheaper on PC, it's hard to see why anyone would choose the Xbox version.

In truth, patience is the key to enjoying this game. If you have it, then the complicated puzzles will be like gems as you happily immerse yourself in the Jack the Ripper investigation. If you don't, well you won't much care for this adventure.

* Actually, he wouldn't. Sherlock Holmes never uttered those words in any of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's novels.