Features

This first-person interactive game immerses the player in the 3D world of Blackmoor Manor. As teen sleuth Nancy Drew, players are given a toolbox and a limited number of "jokers" (hints) to use in solving the mystery. The full version of the game comes bundled with a bonus PC game: Nancy Drew and the Haunted Carousel (Mystery #8)

Graphics

The world of Blackmoor Manor is steeped in astrology, Latin, and family history and the corresponding graphics are rich and textured. The walls are decorated with intricate carvings, portraits, family crests, carvings, and all manner of ornamentation. Each of the rooms have their own distinct characteristics and features -- the conservatory, for example, is full of lush plants bathed in light from the surrounding glass enclosure. The characters, however, are typically blocky and often speak out of synch with dialog. There are some exceptions to this -- notably, the parrot Loulou, whose movements are fluid even when its speech is annoying.

Sound

The sound is hit and miss -- the characters' speaking voices are clear, and the generic background music, acceptably unobtrusive, but many of the sound effects are harsh and barely recognizable for what they are meant to represent: doors slamming, creatures growling, and other things that go bump in the night. I also grew very tired very quickly of the efficient click-click-click of Nancy's shoes as she walks through the manor (and was annoyed that there was no change in the sound between tile and metal grating, or any other floor covering).

Gameplay

In a word: frustrating. With only 5 keys to use, function is severely limited and it is too easy to hit the wrong key, resulting in repetition and lost time. The bulk of time is spent navigating and waiting while the game loads the next scene. As a junior detective, you are allotted 5 "jokers" (i.e. hints -- I have no idea why they are called jokers -- senior detectives get three) but these are only available to use in solving puzzles; for other hints players can check the task list, cellphone, and journal in the tool box, but otherwise are on their own. While there is the option for a two-player mode, the only advantage to this is the added jokers which can essentially be used collaboratively.

Conclusion

I had a lot of trouble with this game as did my daughter; the exciting moments where we solved something or found an item, or moved gameplay ahead just a little were few and far between; most of the time was spent walking around looking for clues that just didn't seem to be there. After several hours of play, we had only managed to clear the first two levels. We had grown tired of hearing the same responses when trying to interact with areas of the Manor ("I need the key," "I can't get in there right now," or "There seems to be a piece missing"), and of looking at the same things again and again without the discovery of any new hints or objects. We haven't finished the game, and frankly I'm not sure if we ever will.

For comparison, I loaded the included PC Nancy Drew Game: The Haunted Carousel. Using the mouse or touchpad, movement within the game environment was much more fluid, though no more intuitive. However, the graphics were just as rich (and the characters just as blocky), and there were few other differences in the overall feel of the game. Given the choice between the DVD version and the PC version, I would be much more likely to purchase the PC version of a Nancy Drew title.