Flash Review #2: "Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Silver Earring" (2004)

(a.k.a. "Sherlock Holmes: The Secret of the Silver Earring" or "Sherlock Holmes: The Silver Earring") 

Uniquely, this game is based on an unpublished fanfic novel; as such, the story is ambitious – perhaps overly so. Across its various titles the emphasis remains on the “silver earring”, so players may be surprised to learn how little the titular piece of jewellery actually impacts the plot. While the story is unfocused and the solution far more difficult to arrive at than its designer seems to believe, the journey is still entertaining. Highlights include Holmes’s pursuit of the “mysterious white powder” that forms a central piece of evidence, and his voice actor’s joyful delivery of the one-word line: “Gin!”