Since the boxed copy needs online activation anyway I decided to buy a digital version, which I downloaded yeaterday, with the idea of buying a used PS3 version in the future!

I played for a few hours late last night - it took me a while to work out the controls as it automatically started with keyboard controls but found you can easily toggle between 1st, 3rd person perspective, point & click & keyboard controls while playing.

One of the improvements I thought was the easier access to features such as map, deduction board, newspaper articles etc by right-clicking the mouse (in p & c mode) rather than as before opening the inventory & then clicking on various tabs, otherwise it plays similarly to the earlier games.

As for the game itself the graphics & the rendering of the characters are sumptuous & as expected the voice acting is excellent! It had an interesting beginning & I was grabbed by the story straight away unlike other games where it may take an hour of playing to get immersed! The game is looking to be a masterpiece for Frogwares - I can't wait to get back to playing but I haven't got too much time over the next couple of days.

Glad to hear positive comments. Thanks, chrissie !!

Not at 30 quid a pop. That's a nasty price, at least for me.

Those are words I like to hear!

I just installed my own disc. It's been a few months since I played the game, and I'm excited! I love the new Holmes that we have, he's perfect.

The gameplay is very long - maybe equal to 2 regular games.

You've finished it already?

Wincey,

frogwares shop has it here - click here.

It might not be available for NA yet - just Europe.

Focus and The Adventure Shop also have them - click on the 2 banners that rotate at top of the page. Have fun.

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Wincey,

The walkthrough is already posted. frogwares kindly gave me a peek ahead of time even though the game was not finished.

It's a loooong game.

What a fantastic start of a game!!

Btw. if anyone (like I did) have a problem with running the game - only black screen appears - wait for the black screen and press alt + enter. The game switches to windowed mode and there enter options and set the resolution to lower values.

Tech explanation - skip if you don't like technology stuff:
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If I understand it right, the game automatically uses the highest possible resolution, which (in my case) is 1920x1080. Since my computer is connected through DVI and not HDMI, the game tries to set too high frequency and thus it's out of range for DVI. This is at least what my LCD tries to tell me.
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Anyway, with alt+enter trick everything works great now and I am off to enjoy some more of a sleuthing.

THanks for the tip Jan!

Ana

I've just managed to get Sherlock Holmes installed and played through the first few minutes of the game to the second autosave. But Sherlock's voice does not sound right. Is Rick Simmonds not doing the voice for Sherlock in this game??? I thought he had the most exquisite voice!

No, there's a new voice actor for Holmes in this game. If you're familiar with the old one, the new might take a little getting used to, maybe.

Thank you, Rushes. That's too bad about the voice-over as Mr. Simmonds' voice was perfect - I'll just have to get used to the new voice then.

I'm still deciding whether or not to buy it. It's not cheap but I did like the previous SH games except for 'vs Ripper' which got a bit too dark for my liking.

Can someone who has played Testament say how dark it is? I liked the Holmes and Watson characterisation in Nemesis but I fear from the trailer they'll try to portray them as less homely. Ye olde 19th century English isn't cool anymore.

Hi Wincey,

Yes, Testament has a dark storyline. It has Holmes accused of corruption and murder, and even Watson starts to suspect that his old friend has turned to criminality. There are a few gory scenes, and emotional scenes.

Having said that, there is also a lot of humour, and many light and fun moments too. The story is intriguing and twisty, and the puzzles are challenging.

There are a few reviews out there already if you want to read more details. Gamezebo has an excellent one.

Just got my game Sherlock Homes from Dave.
Richard