Review by Jakob Balen

Having played almost every game in the Nancy Drew PC series (missing SAW and FIN), I know that each game has a certain atmosphere in it; Some are more dark and murky (Castle Malloy comes to mind), some are very light and whimsical while still being a mystery (Secret of the Old Clock?), and some have a nicely balanced mixture of the two (Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake is a good example). Although I usually like the dark ones the least, something about this game was very gravitational. When I first started it, little did I know that not only I’d actually like it even a little, but I’d write a somewhat decent review on it.

Story: 7.⁵⁄₁₀. Orginially, Nancy shows up at Blackmoor Manor, a massive mansion in England, to find out what is wrong with newlywed Linda Penvellyn, who won’t show her face or communicate with anyone, with the exception of a few words. Upon Nancy’s arrival, weird things start happening fast, and it’s clear that there’s either a supernatual being in the residency, or someone really doesn’t want Nancy there. The Penvellyn family is HUGE, and it was considerably fascinating to uncover more and more history.

Graphics/Setting: 7.⁵⁄₁₀. The characters are still robotic at this point in the series, but they’re slowly improving. Since you stay indoors the whole time (which was a negative aspect for me), you got to really see the detail in the mansion, but boy is there a lot. The manor makes you feel very small, and it’s full of a lot of surprises and secrets waiting to be uncovered.

Characters: ⁷⁄₁₀. The characters were considerably good this time around. To name a few, there’s the intentionally nice but slightly irritating girl Jane, the hired author, Nigel who’s writing a Penvellyn memoir, and Mrs. Drake, a strict and uptight lady. There’s also Loulou the parrot, who’s helpful and funny, but annoying at times.

Puzzles: ⁷⁄₁₀. Even though I had to use a walkthrough for almost all of the puzzles, they still took a long time to get done. They really got you to think, but to the point where you’re cranium hurt! I think this game sort of over-did the puzzles because they’re soooo many. This isn’t called the hardest Nancy Drew game for nothing.

Activities: ⁵⁄₁₀. There isn’t anything really to do outside of the story progression, which I found very dissapointing. I realize that the point of these games is to sleuth and solve mysteries, but fun activities are a priority in my book, and this game just didn’t have any.

Ending: ⁷⁄₁₀. Maybe the most simple ending yet in the series. Somewhat surprising as well.

Total: 7.33, rounded to the final score of….

7.⁵⁄₁₀.

While I may be a tad biased because I don’t usually enjoy the darker games, this game does deserve a purchase for many Nancy Drew PC fans, but I’d go with something else for now.