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Sherlock Holmes in "Another Bow"

Sherlock Holmes, emblematic of analytical brilliance throughout the 20th century, is a natural choice for an adventurous game hero. However, the question arises: How brilliant will the player feel after hours of perplexing puzzles, or the repetitive re-inspection of the same locations? And how will other characters perceive this, possibly doubting the sanity of the celebrated detective?

Games like Infocom's Sherlock cleverly evade this problem by making the player assume the role of Dr. Watson. A different approach is taken by Another Bow, which presents Holmes as somewhat forgetful.

Set in 1919, five years after his last appearance, Holmes and Watson find themselves on a transatlantic cruise to negotiate with an American publisher. Notable figures of the era, including Watson's agent, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; Holmes' actor, William Gillette; as well as famous names like Picasso, Houdini, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Gertrude Stein, and Lawrence of Arabia, are also on board. As might be expected, various mysteries unfold, including a conspiracy that could alter the world’s history. Only Holmes, in retirement and occasionally needing reminders of his surroundings and the people around him, can unravel these mysteries.

Like Brimstone, this game is structured as a recovered manuscript with the first three chapters in the physical manual, while the rest is converted into interactive fiction. The interface notably lacks compass navigation: instead, players input the command of "go to [location]" using paperwork provided as guidance. Please note that this game is incompatible with the Mini vMac emulator (last tested with v3.5.8.) and requires a physical compact Macintosh model such as a 128K, 512K, or Plus.

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