Video game:Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Silver Earring

Before video games existed to capture the imagination, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle published four novels and 56 short stories featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Between 1887 and 1927, the public waited eagerly for the next installment featuring the titular hero and his friend, Dr. John Watson. Today, Sherlock Holmes continues to captivate the world through film, television, and video games that present the opportunity for players to step into the detective's shoes and try their own hand at solving mysteries.

Melbourne House released the first Sherlock Holmes video game for the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 gaming consoles in 1984. A simple text adventure, Sherlock'' served as a stepping stone for future games involving Sherlock Holmes.

In 2002, Wanadoo released the first game in the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' series for the PC. Entitled Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Mummy,'' the game launched a popular series that included many sequels. Like other games involving the character Sherlock Holmes, the mystery does not come from the original Conan Doyle series.

The Mystery of the Mummy'' received mixed reviews from critics. Ugur Sener of Adventure Lantern wrote that the game, has an interesting premise,'' but ultimately falls short of the mark,' while GameZone wrote that Sherlock fans will be sure to love it.' Nevertheless, players enjoyed the game enough to merit a prequel The Case of the Silver Earring,'' which came out in 2004.

Like its predecessor, Silver Earring'' is a point-and-click computer game with an original mystery for players to solve. This game also features Dr. John Watson, a key character who was notably absent in The Mystery of the Mummy.' Players must use their investigative skills to discover who murdered the wealthy Sir Bromsby in his mansion.

The Case of the Silver Earring'' received positive reviews from critics and players. Zachary Lighty of IGN wrote that, This title is very well put together, with an interesting mystery to solve and lacking the frustration so common with many adventure titles.' The game succeeded commercially, and the next game in the series came out in 2006.

In 2006, Xendex released a version of The Case of the Silver Earring'' for mobile phones. More than a century after his first appearance, Sherlock Holmes continues to be a mainstay in popular culture for reasons he would deem truly elementary.'