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It’s crazy to think that the original edition of Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective came out in 1982. Fast forward 40 years and the series is still going strong and doing a superb job at immersing players in the world of Victorian era London working under the watchful eye of the famous sleuth. With this latest standalone box in the Consulting Detective series, The Baker Street Irregulars, we are once again putting on our thinking caps and treating the denizens of London with suspicion as we look for clues around every corner. The games are afoot so let us begin!
“You Know My Methods…”
The popularity of Sherlock Holmes cannot be denied. From TV to Movies, Video games and more; it’s not just about the books anymore. Conan Doyle’s legendary detective has seen all manner of iterations and interpretations, and yet the streets of Victorian London will forever have a strong connection with Holmes and Watson. That was where these characters lived and breathed, had their adventures in smog filled streets and the smoky halls of the Diogenes Club. Their tales have intrigued readers down to this day.
With the Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective series, those early adventures are continued. A cooperative game where players roam the streets of London with The Times newspaper in hand and a telephone directory helping them locate both the elite and the disreputable in the search of answers to baffling mysteries that have been brought to Sherlock's door. The gang’s all here; Dr Watson, Mycroft, Mrs Hudson and Lestrade of Scotland Yard… this series is a true love letter to the works of Conan Doyle. If you are a fan of Sherlock’s literary exploits and feel you are ready to take your place at his side as a junior apprentice then you’ve come to the right place.
“Really, Holmes!”
The Baker Street Irregulars holds a special place in the series as not only a must-have set of new adventures but it also makes a great jumping on point for new players!
For returning players, everything that makes these games so familiar is here; the oversized map of London, the telephone directory and daily newspapers. As with earlier releases, there are 10 full length cases to be solved with an opening story or introduction to start you on your way. Then it’s up to you to travel around London and visit the various locations to further your investigation before coming to a logical conclusion. Whether or not you will require less clues than Sherlock will remain to be seen, so players will want to make sure they don’t go all over London at random in the hope of finding clues as this will be deducted in points. You really will want to be selective on what clues you follow; the less clues you needed, the higher your score.
In each case there will also be some additional points awarded if you complete the ‘side missions’, just be careful not to go too deep down the rabbit hole.
What makes this edition excellent for the new players though is the introduction of the ‘Play Aid’ that helps new players identify some of the more important clues by circling letters from A-Z on the back. This means that some clues will not be available until you have the appropriate letter circled (e.g. “Do you have a circled A? If not, Langdale can tell you nothing else of interest and you leave. If you do, read on:”).
Most Irregular
One of the highlights in this version is that the character arcs of the Baker Street Irregulars are really fleshed out. One case in particular is all about gang leader Wiggins’ mother and a mystery surrounding his childhood. Reading through these cases it’s clear that the author of the game (who always does an incredible job) has really got a wonderful understanding of who these kids are and brings them to life beautifully.
The cases themselves are excellent and cover a wide variety from kidnapping, espionage, burglary plots and ‘missing’ persons. There is a lot of fun to be had with some of the more off the wall experiences in the game (‘The Dog in the Night Time’ sees you chasing after a dog in a kidnapping case whilst other cases will have you checking your watch as you follow three suspects around London and beyond).
“Elementary”
Make no mistake, some of these cases are very hard and you will find yourself at the end wondering why Sherlock only needed to make 5 visits to unearth the solution when you took 15. It may seem like the game is rigged in Sherlocks favour but with enough deliberation and team discussion it is possible to beat the famous detective. On one playthrough with friends, two of the girls in our party went down a seemingly random tangent with one theory and ended up being spot on so it really does pay to consider all possibilities. But even when you fail miserably the fun is simply in trying and it’s a blast to speculate and question everything you hear.
As a warning though, care should be taken when turning the pages so that you don’t inadvertently read a ‘spoiler’ at a location that is different to the one you are searching for. It’s nicer to get the clues yourself without the games help!!!
What also makes Consulting Detective such an enjoyable experience is that, unlike many escape room games, there are no time limits or clock watching. Players can sit back with a glass of wine or a cup of tea and just chat it through, pop the game away and come back to it later on once they have stewed on it for a while. It really is a great conversation game and will even be appreciated by those who don’t enjoy traditional gaming experiences; we have played it successfully with gamers and non gamers.
So if you are looking to exercise those brain cells and feel like a bonafide detective then you can do no better than checking out this fantastic voyage as an honorary Consulting Detective!
