Hmmm. I don't quite agree with that, Mitchell.
Overrated, maybe a little, as it isn't my favourite in the series, and yet it's the title everyone knows . . . but, (in my opinion) it was no less exciting, complex, intriguing and excellently written as any of the other stories. Maybe Holmes didn't play a huge part in it, and, because of that, you didn't see much of his powers of deduction . . . But in reading the books I have come to love Watson almost as much as Holmes, and reading about his exploits and discoveries was just as interesting.
The plot overall was fantastic, the hound was intense, and Holmes turning up totally unexpected, half way through, was genius in my opinion.
I'm interested to know if anyone else shares this opinion?