Review by Jakob Balen

Owning every game in the Nancy Drew PC series, it’s evident how much the games have changed over time, and whether it’s improved graphics or more detailed character design, it’s usually for the better. I still love to play the games from the classic part of the series (games one through nine), and although this one definitely isn’t the best of the first few games, there are still a few positive aspects in this one, you just have to look hard to find some of them.

Story: ⁸⁄₁₀. This story is somewhat of a rarity for the Nancy Drew games, because it’s pretty much two stories in one mystery: Ghoulish ghost dogs appear in the middle of the night and try to maul Sally McDonald’s house (the house Nancy stays at in the game). There is also the theory that a man named Mickey Malone buried treasure somewhere on Sally’s property, which used to be his land. I loved the idea of two stories, and these two melded together pretty well, and were pretty well done.

Graphics/Setting: ⁷⁄₁₀. Since this game was released in late 2002, the graphics aren’t going to be that amazing, but the setting was somewhat decent, as you got to explore a convenience store, a forest, a graveyard, a sheriff station and the actual house Nancy stays at.

Characters: 6.⁵⁄₁₀. This game has one or two less suspects than usual Nancy Drew games (this one has 3 people that you meet in person), and they somewhat feel bland. You have Emily, the southern store owner, Red, the anthropic bird watcher, and Ranger Akers, the strict runner of the town who loves ticketing people. None of them are very colorful, and definitely aren’t the highlight of this game.

Puzzles/Exploring: 5.⁵⁄₁₀. They’re aren’t many puzzles in here as there are tasks, and one thing that forces me to knock down this game’s score is that exploration feels practically nonexistent. They’re really isn’t anything to search or sleuth in besides a frustratingly big forest and the occaisonal passage. But the few puzzles that were there I could usually do without hints, which means that they were really simple.

Activities:⁵⁄₁₀. Another thing that is pretty much nonexistent in this game. The only things that even come close to fun activities in this game are bird-watching and reading the lake’s history on the Sheriff’s computer. I would have like more plain fun to be added in this game.

Ending:n7.⁵⁄₁₀. Some endings take a little bit of time to complete, and may even require a second chance, but this one is over very quickly, yet it somehow gives you that goosebumpy feeling that good Nancy Drew endings give you. I’m sure you know what I meannnTotal (average): 6.58 out of 10, averaged to….

6.⁵⁄₁₀.

While there can still be some fun to be had with this game if you’re a diehard fan like me, I’d recommend that new Nancy Drew PC fans or someone looking for one of the games to buy, look at another HERInteractive title for now.