Others say...

"fun but slightly childish"
This game was fun to play however many parts of it are childish, however few children would be able to solve the puzzles. The puzzles in the first part of the game are simple but some of them towards the end are impossible without the walkthrough. I would still suggest this this to adventure gamers, the format is simple to use and easy to follow.

"good game"
I GOT THIS GAME ABOUT 3 MONTHS AGO.I WAS SO EXITED WHEN I GOT IT BUT IT WASNT EXACTLY WHAT I ECSPECTED. I HAD TO CONSTANTLY LOOK AT A STRATEGY GUIDE WICH REALLY GOT ON MY NERVES BECAUSE I DONT LIKE TO CHEAT.IT MAY ALSO BE THAT I AM NEW AT THESE GAMES. I HAVE SECRET OF SHADOW RANCH,BLACKMORE MANOR AND I NOW HAVE SECRET OF THE OLD CLOCK.I AM A LITTLE RAW AT THESE GAMES SO IT MAY BE THAT.THE PROBLEM WAS THAT I KEPT ON SAYING ITS TO HARD BUT I CANT PUT IT DOWN! SO WHEN YOU GET THIS DONT ECSPECT EVERYTHING THAT YOU READ. BUT IF YOU ARE ADVANCED AT THIS GAME YOU MAY WANT TO GET. BUT DONT LET THIS REVIEW STOP YOU YOU MAY THINK BIFFRENTLY BUT PLEASE DO NOT ECSPECT EVERYTHING.

"Great Kids' Computer Game!"
This game is a trip into the past to the very first Nancy Drew book. It's really fun because the game has 1930's stufff--ie the cars, etc. The game has all new puzzles & challenging tasks. This is one of the easier Nancy Drew computer games, and it's also not as scary as some of the others. Great for beginners and for players with lots of experience with the Nancy Drew games.

"Fun but not quite Fabulous"
The twelfth of the Nancy Drew Mystery Series. Things are graded A-F, just like school.

The Crime: C

It's 1930, and Nancy stops by the home of Emily Crandall to check on her. The girl has recently lost her mother, and now has said she is seeing things. She asks Nancy to put her mother's jewels in a safe, but before Nancy can do so, an explosion occurrs! The jewelry is stolen and Nancy Drew begins her first case.

Also on the docket is finding out what happened to Josiah Crowley, a local eccentric who had promised to leave money to Emily. The Depression is starting and the young girl can use all the help she can get!

Suspects include Emily's guardian Jane W., kind banker Mr. Archer, and "psychic" Richard Topham (who also happens to be Josiah's sole heir).

My thought on this was that the crime was trying too hard. It left me feeling indifferent.

Puzzles: B

The look and feel of the puzzles was great. My favorite one was the number/symbol game in the carriage house. I agonized over it, but I loved it. Ultimately, though, there didn't seem to be a lot of puzzles in this game at all. Not as many as previous games.

Gameplay: B

This game is more a fetch-and-carry than a mystery. The mystery tends to get lost while Nancy spends most of her time running errands for people around town. Everybody has a line like, "Oh, I would love to do that for you, Nancy, but first I have to..." and of course Nancy volunteers. This happens over and over. Even Nancy comments to Bess, "You wouldn't believe what I had to go through..."

You drive Nancy's roadster, which I liked, deliver telegrams for extra money (which I liked, but got tedious after a while), explore hidden passages, fish the local waterhole, and play mini-golf.

One thing I didn't like was that the mini-golf was disconnected from the game. In CUR, Jane's games had to be won at some point in order to get something. In CLK, the mini-golf is obviously there only an extra.

HI did a good time integrating the time period and the Great Depression into the game without hitting us over the head with it. I really liked how you could experience the town and the townspeople, even though you could only actually enter a few locations (they used black-and-white period pictures to show you the rest).

There are no spooky moments, no suspense, and no thrills and chills here at all. The closest you come is when Nancy scares herself in the hidden passage.

This is the shortest Nancy Drew game ever made, with the exception of SCK. I finished in 7 hours, and that is unlike me. I was disappointed; I expect more bang for my $20.

Time Changes: None. This all takes place in a single day.

Voice Acting: B

The voices all kind of rolled off me. They were wonderfully done, but they were missing some "oomph." Emily seems sad and delicate, Jane is blowsy, Richard is a slick public speaker-type, and Mr. Archer is a nice guy.

Carson Drew was excellent and is the reason for the "B". He's perfect: wise, patient, kind, loving. Nancy's relationship with him is spelled out in the first phone call - they love each other, and he thinks she's a smart cookie. Perfect.

The people who stood out to me were the bit players - Mrs. Jakowski, good-time-girl and local phone operator, and Mrs. O'Shea, patroness of the orphanage.

Music: B

Period, and very nice, but again, I was sort of indifferent. I did find myself nodding my head to the jazzy ragtime that plays in The Lilac Inn's entrance hall.

Graphics/Video: A

The best yet, of course. One gripe I do have is why are all the slim girls so frightening? Jane in CUR and Emily in this game are scarily thin. If you look at Emily's feet as she sits in the window seat, you can tell that the size of her legs and feet is so small as to be almost impossible. Why can't HI do a skinny girl without her being out of proportion?

Technical: A

Perfectly perfect.

Overall, I think this one is neat and entertaining, a great way to pass a few hours, but it was lacking The Wow Factor for me. I just wasn't dazzled by what I saw like I have been in the past.

If you love Nancy Drew, this one's for you. Play it and have a good time. Don't be surprised if it falls a little short, though.


"great games"
this nancy drew game is one of the best ones yet buy it