Hell-Ementary: Sherlock Holmes - The Devil's Daughter

Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes, does whatever a Sherlock can. Everyone's favourite logic-slinger, the mysterious costumed figure known as Sherley to his fans, will return in a new adventure next year. It's called The Devil's Daughter [official site] and will pit our friendly neighbourhood mystery-man against the usual cowardly superstitious criminals who challenge his deductive wit, but there'll also be "family stories, irresistible emotions and an occult revenge". Dang. Any fool knows that Sherley's superpowers are ineffective against magic.

This will be the eighth entry in Frogwares' series of Sherlock Holmes adventure games. I developed something of a soft spot for them when I first encountered creepy teleporting Watson in the Cthulhu-inflected The Awakened and I enjoyed The Testament of Sherlock Holmes, despite its clunkiness and one weird canine stealth section.

The most recent Holmescoming left John cold though and when I tried it for myself, I spent more time on carriage-bound loading scenes than I did solving crimes. I enjoyed dressing Holmes as a ragamuffin though.

What can we expect from The Devil's Daughter?

· Take on five thrilling and confounding cases.

· Freely roam an expansive landscape of playable terrain.

· Maneuver fast-paced action sequences to challenge your every gaming skill.

· Play a unique blend of game mechanics that lead to an unprecedented experience.

· State-of-the-art graphics bring the streets of Victorian London to life.

Hands up now - who's playing Sherlock Holmes adventure games for the fast-paced action sequences? I'll end up giving this a whirl, hoping for the best.