Nancy Drew: Message in a Haunted Mansion

Reviewed by Anise Hollingshead
Published by Dreamcatcher/Her Interactive

Age Group: Age 8 and Up, Adults
Type: Thinking Games, More Fun
Price: $30

Requires: P166, Windows 95 or later, 16MB RAM, 130MB HD, 16 bit color, 16 bit sound, 8xCD-ROM,

Description:

That Nancy Drew sure gets around! On her last adventure she was in New York, now she's in San Francisco, helping a family friend renovate a Victorian era building into a modern bed and breakfast. But, even when engaged in the most innocent of tasks, Nancy seems to be a magnet for mysteries.

Soon after she arrives in town, Nancy finds out that all is not well. In fact, if something isn't done soon, Rose (the owner) may be forced to sell the mansion. Strange accidents keep happening, and the insurance company is beginning to suggest that maybe not enough 'care' is being taken with the renovations and general safety issues.

Not one to resist a puzzle, Nancy is soon sleuthing around between fix-it jobs. Several people are prime candidates for the suspect; for instance, Charlie, the young handyman who just "showed up one day" and landed the job. Or Abby, Rose's financial partner, who seems bent on making everyone believe that spirits are responsible for he accidents. And just why is Louis hanging around anyway? An antique dealer, there seems to be no good reason for him to be there every day, other than his professed love of Victoriana.

As usual, it's up to Nancy and her investigative skills to solve the mystery, with a little help from you.

Features:

  • Nancy Drew
  • Intriguing and involving storyline
  • Puzzles to be solved
  • Lots of clues for hours of gameplay
  • Helpful hints from Nancy's friends
  • Difficulty levels
  • Lower price!

Technical Aspects:

Installation was a snap, but for some reason, Auto Play doesn't appear to be a feature. The background graphics are exactly the same as in the previous games, and are very appealing and realistic. The characters are again 3D, as in the 2nd Nancy Drew game.

Difficulty levels exist, but more for the puzzles than the actual gameplay. One small glitch is present in the first puzzle, where geometric tiles have to be fitted together to form a pattern on the floor. If not done in a certain way, the puzzle won't register as "solved" no matter if all the pieces are fitted correctly or not. I fit the pieces together 3 different ways before it registered.

Yay! Closed Captioning!

Report and Conclusions:

Another successful outing for Nancy Drew from Her Interactive! An engrossing story with clever puzzles, hours of gameplay and no violence, this is a wonderful choice if you're looking for a game for your young teens. Although promoted for girls, boys and girls alike will enjoy this game equally well. A refreshing change from the shallow fashion-and-makeup obsessed "girl games" taking up space on the shelves.

All 3 of the games in this series are fun and exciting to play, but I have to confess that my favorite is the 2nd one, Stay Tuned for Danger, which has a sense of humor that is a little lacking in the others. I remain a big fan of the soap opera "Love of Our Lives".

Children of varying ages (10, 14, 15) and gender are all vying to play this game at my house. In fact, my youngest has just discovered Nancy Drew and finished reading "The Secret of the Old Clock" last week. Now, she's slavering over the chance to "be" Nancy! Thank you, Her Interactive, for offering quality games that teach kids that brains are an asset.




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