Dracula Meets Sherlock Holmes... on DVD

Dracula Unleashed and Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective, two of the earliest games to make use of interactive video, are getting a new lease on life.

Infinite Ventures Inc. announced Friday that it has acquired the rights to the CD-ROM titles Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective, Volumes I through III and Dracula Unleashed, both from Viacom International. Infinite plans to issue the games on DVD and to use the titles in other media.

ICOM Simulations was the original publisher of the games, but ICOM was acquired by Viacom in 1993.

The Sherlock Holmes titles feature a total of more than four hours of video footage; Dracula Unleashed makes use of 90 minutes of video. Both games were traditional adventure titles, but made use of video, which at the time appeared in a quarter-screen window, during (or after) which players did their pointing and clicking.

"We look back now with amusement at how easily impressed we were with the video technology," said Eugene Evans, Infinite Ventures' president and founder. "We are confident that the video and gaming quality of the DVD versions will set new standards as the titles did back in 1992."

The footage will have to be digitally remastered for use in the DVD versions. The original video material was shot on Betacam SP and will be digitally remastered for MPEG-2 video and AC-3 audio. Dracula Unleashed DVD is expected to be released in the third quarter of this year, with the Holmes titles following.

Infinite is banking on DVD growing in popularity and thinks these titles are perfectly suited to ride its coattails. Infinite is especially eyeing the possibilities of including Holmes and Dracula in DVD bundle packages. Evans said, "No titles better demonstrate the promise of DVD on a PC."

He continues, "However, plans for the properties don't stop there. At ICOM we found that these products had very broad market appeal. As a result, we are also exploring the possibility of creating DVD video versions, which can be played on today's DVD video players. This will increase the potential user base by millions of homes throughout the world."

This reporter tends to think that the possibility of someone wanting to watch a noninteractive version of these games is somewhat scant, but who knows?

Infinite Ventures also has hopes of utilizing the titles in some way over what it's calling "the emerging broadband market." Evans said, "The convergence of television and the Internet has removed the stigma from the idea of interactive television. As broadband pipes open into the home, providers will be looking for product to differentiate their services. We will be able to deliver several hours of truly interactive programming."