For this roundup of Sherlock Holmes adventures from the 1980s, Ben and Jason call in an expert: Sherlockian playwright Christian Neuhaus, co-creator of You've Ruined a Perfectly Good Mystery. The trio of amateur sleuths take on the three major commercial releases in chronological order.

First up is Sherlock from Melbourne House, written in the same "Inglish" system that powered The Hobbit... and with many of the same strengths and liabilities. Written by Philip Mitchell, whose Australian take on 19th century London doesn't fool Ben for a second.

Next it's the smorgasbord of shipboard mayhem Sherlock Holmes: Another Bow. Author Peter Golden will join us on a future episode to talk about how this Bantam Software release came to be.

Finally we take on Infocom's final all-text creation, Sherlock: The Riddle of the Crown Jewels by Bob Bates. Does it send the legendary series and unparalleled investigative team out on a triumphant note by putting the player in Watson's shoes?

Sherlock by Melbourne House (IFDB)

Sherlock (playable online, ZX Spectrum)

Sherlock Holmes: Another Bow (IFDB)

Sherlock Holmes: Another Bow (playable online, DOS)

Sherlock: The Riddle of the Crown Jewels (IFDB)

Sherlock: The Riddle of the Crown Jewels (playable online)

Peter Golden's fiction