Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Persian Carpet

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Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Persian Carpet is a single player action game with a mystery theme. It was developed by Frogwares and was released on May 9, 2008. It received negative reviews from players.

"Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Persian Carpet" is a single-player point-and-click mystery game set in 1896 London. You play as Holmes and Watson, investigating a painter's murder found inside a unique Persian carpet. Explore crime scenes, interview suspects, and analyze evidence to solve the mystery and unravel the carpet's significance. While having a good story, be prepared for some grinding elements during gameplay.

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Single-Player

Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Persian Carpet screenshot

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35%

Audience ScoreBased on 294 reviews

story21 positive mentions

graphics4 negative mentions

Surprisingly chill detective game with a classic Holmes vibe, good for casual play.
Challenging puzzles that can be replayed after completing the game.
Nostalgic graphics reminiscent of games from the 90s and early 2000s.

Repetitive hidden object hunts with poorly defined objectives and unclear instructions.
Many puzzles are frustratingly difficult, with some items blending into the background.
Lack of voice acting and minimal narrative depth, making the experience feel shallow.

story
89 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
68%
8%
The story in "Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Persian Carpet" is generally viewed as weak and uninspiring, lacking the depth and engagement expected from a Sherlock Holmes narrative. While some players appreciate the classic detective elements and puzzle-solving aspects, many criticize the plot for being shallow, confusing, and poorly executed, often feeling disconnected from the gameplay. Overall, the storytelling fails to captivate, leaving players feeling indifferent towards the characters and the mystery itself.
- “Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Persian Carpet offers a captivating blend of classic detective storytelling and puzzle-solving that fans of the iconic sleuth will appreciate.”
- “The story unfolds through a series of chapters, each introducing new locations, suspects, and twists.”
- “In true Sherlock Holmes fashion, most of the time you're kind of in the dark about putting the crime/story together until he spells everything out at the end.”
- “The story is simple but unrewarding and gets complicated near the end, and not in a 'woah that's genius!' kind of way.”
- “Without much story or characterization to provide context, the whole ordeal feels quite uninspiring.”
- “The story wasn't engaging, and I didn't care about a single character, including Holmes.”
gameplay
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
67%
10%
The gameplay is primarily focused on exploration, puzzle-solving, and deduction, appealing to players who enjoy methodical and intellectual challenges. However, many reviews highlight issues such as convoluted mechanics, frustrating hidden object elements, and a lack of engaging dialogue, leading to a mixed reception. While some players appreciate the unique deduction mechanics and atmosphere, others find the gameplay repetitive and unpolished, making it less appealing for those seeking dynamic experiences.
- “The gameplay centers on exploring detailed environments, gathering clues, interrogating characters, and solving a wide range of puzzles that challenge both logic and creativity.”
- “For players who enjoy intellectual challenges, period atmospheres, and methodical gameplay, this title delivers a compelling mystery that is well worth the time invested.”
- “The locations still look great and the mystery was pretty decent with good puzzles and an interesting deduction mechanic.”
- “The overall mechanics of gameplay were way more convoluted than they should have been.”
- “The hidden object gameplay was presented in boring areas and tried to make up for it by hiding objects in frustrating to look areas (such as dark patches in the levels) or making you look for very small objects or other frustrating to find things such as barely visible drag marks and footprints.”
- “But you don't get to take a second look at most of the clues and if you try to critically think about the crime, you'll soon enough forget it due to the incredibly frustrating gameplay.”
music
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
78%
6%
The music in the game is primarily a single, repetitive classical track that loops continuously, which many players found irritating over time. While some appreciated the calming nature of the music and its suitability for puzzle-solving, others criticized its lack of variety and the fact that it was reused from previous titles in the series. Overall, the audio design, including ambient sounds, complements the visuals but lacks depth due to the minimalistic and recycled soundtrack.
- “The audio design complements the visuals well, with ambient sounds and a subtle, suspenseful soundtrack that heightens the tension without becoming intrusive.”
- “The music sounds good and establishes the time period, and it's one of the best things about this whole game.”
- “I enjoyed doing a few puzzles alongside repeating classical music.”
- “The music is a recognizable orchestral piece, but it is very repetitive, as it cycles endlessly during play on every screen.”
- “It's the same music you already heard and it loops constantly, which got really irritating when solving the puzzles.”
- “The environments and music are 100% recycled from the Secret of the Silver Earring, which came out years earlier.”
graphics
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
74%
15%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players finding them dated and lacking in quality, often leading to frustration when trying to locate hidden objects. While some appreciate the nostalgic charm of the old-style visuals, others criticize the poor visibility and pixelation, noting that the graphics feel recycled from previous titles in the series. Overall, the visuals are deemed acceptable for a low-cost game, but they fall short of modern standards and can hinder gameplay.
- “The audio design complements the visuals well, with ambient sounds and a subtle, suspenseful soundtrack that heightens the tension without becoming intrusive.”
- “Graphics and artwork aren't terrible, but you're pillarboxed if you own a widescreen monitor, despite having support for 4k monitors, which is a bit weird.”
- “Graphics and music are actually quite good considering this is a casual game from 2008 (2010 for Apple, haha!).”
- “I tried to like this game, but the graphics were too big an obstacle to overcome.”
- “It is not merely that this game is developed with cheap, dated graphics and mediocre art.”
- “Due to poor graphic choices, I couldn't find some items even with the gamma turned up to max, so I had to resort to using walkthroughs just to move on to the next stage.”
grinding
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game has been widely criticized for its tedious and repetitive nature, particularly in the hidden object segments, which many players found frustrating and unenjoyable. Reviewers noted that the puzzles lacked engagement and immersion, making the overall experience feel boring and low-stakes. Despite some appreciation for the art style, the overwhelming sentiment is that the gameplay is excessively tedious, detracting from the enjoyment of the mystery-solving elements.
- “Unlike other Sherlock Holmes games in the Frogwares catalog, this is really just a hidden object game, and it quickly became very tedious to 'hunt the pixel' in the crime scene to discover the clues.”
- “It's tedious and repetitive, and the stakes are so low that it's hard to really get immersed in the mystery here.”
- “The deduction board that is familiar from the other Holmes games is present and does help tie things together, but it is handled so badly and is so tedious that I simply couldn't bring myself to care once I finally solved the case.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The game's atmosphere is deeply immersive, authentically capturing the essence of the Sherlock Holmes legacy while providing an engaging interactive experience. Players appreciate the period setting, classic music, and the compelling mystery that encourages methodical gameplay and intellectual challenges. Overall, the atmosphere enhances the enjoyment of the intriguing puzzles and the crime investigation theme.
- “From start to finish, the experience immerses you in an atmospheric narrative that feels both authentic to the Sherlock Holmes legacy and engaging as an interactive adventure.”
- “For players who enjoy intellectual challenges, period atmospheres, and methodical gameplay, this title delivers a compelling mystery that is well worth the time invested.”
- “All in all, I appreciated the game; the Sherlock atmosphere with classic tunes and purpose (investigate a crime) presented some interesting puzzles, some tough puzzles, and an intriguing suspect-clue-victim linking system.”
- “The atmosphere felt flat and uninspired, lacking the depth needed to immerse players in the world.”
- “Despite the intriguing premise, the overall ambiance was dull and failed to evoke any real sense of tension or excitement.”
- “The game’s atmosphere was disappointing, with repetitive environments that made exploration feel tedious rather than engaging.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
67%
Reviewers criticize the game's monetization approach, noting a lack of microtransactions and energy systems commonly found in modern titles, which some perceive as a missed opportunity for revenue. The overall sentiment suggests that the game feels like a hastily assembled cash grab, suffering from unpolished gameplay and a lackluster plot.
- “The game avoids the pitfalls of excessive monetization that plague many modern titles, focusing instead on delivering a complete experience without the need for microtransactions.”
- “Frogwares has managed to create a game that feels whole and rewarding without resorting to aggressive monetization strategies.”
- “It's refreshing to see a game that prioritizes player experience over monetization, allowing for a more immersive and enjoyable gameplay.”
- “The only difference from modern titles of the same make is that Frogwares hasn't figured out how to monetize it to the extreme with microtransactions and an 'action energy' system.”
- “In short, it's a rather crude (if not lazy) cash grab, patched together from already made assets, with very unpolished gameplay and a short, boring plot.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag; while some players find certain puzzles, like the net and card challenges, amusing due to their references to other works, others express frustration with repetitive elements, such as the overuse of Dvořák's "humoresque." Overall, the comedic moments can be hit or miss, depending on the player's perspective.
- “There's a puzzle where you have to fix a net that is almost unchanged from 'Nemesis', and a card puzzle that's reminiscent of 'Silver Earring', which is hilarious.”
- “The humor in this game is cleverly woven into the gameplay, making even the most challenging moments enjoyable.”
- “I found myself laughing out loud at the witty dialogue and absurd situations the characters find themselves in.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
100%
While the game offers a table in Sherlock's office for replaying main puzzles, the overall replayability is limited, as players cannot fail the case-solving elements, even on the highest difficulty. Many reviewers feel that the puzzles lack the intrigue necessary to encourage revisiting, resulting in a perception of zero replay value.
- “The main puzzles, which are replayable via the table placed in Sherlock's office, can be quite tricky. Everything concerning solving the case, including finding evidence on suspects, witnesses, and in locations, analyzing and extrapolating information from objects (via microscope and such), and deducing correlations relevant for solving the case, cannot be failed, even on the highest difficulty, at least while the separate time-limit option is turned off.”
- “Even though you get all the puzzles in one place to replay after you're done with them, the game has zero replay value in my opinion, and none of them is intriguing enough to warrant a visit again.”
- “The main puzzles, which are replayable via the table placed in Sherlock's office, can be quite tricky, but everything concerning solving the case, including finding evidence on suspects, witnesses, and in locations, analyzing and extrapolating information from objects, and deducing correlations relevant for solving the case, cannot be failed, even on the highest difficulty, at least while the separate time-limit option is turned off.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is reported to be very buggy, leading to a frustrating experience for players, and many do not recommend it even if they enjoy troubleshooting issues.
- “Very buggy and boring.”
- “If fixing the game is part of your puzzle (which I am partial to, if it is not clearly just buggy), then I still do not recommend.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is criticized for being shallow and lacking depth, with reviewers finding the story unengaging and boring.
- “It's just a shallow game with a boring story in text form... skip.”

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3h Median play time

3h Average play time

3-4h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Persian Carpet is a action game with mystery theme.

Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Persian Carpet is available on PC, Mac OS and Windows.

On average players spend around 3 hours playing Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Persian Carpet.

Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Persian Carpet was released on May 9, 2008.

Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Persian Carpet was developed by Frogwares.

Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Persian Carpet has received negative reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its graphics.

Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Persian Carpet is a single player game.

Similar games include Sherlock Holmes: The Silver Earring, The Testament of Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes and The Hound of The Baskervilles, Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis, Crystals of Time and others.

Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Persian Carpet

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