Why I buy this one ?
- Nancy Drew needs to fly to Paris to investigate the strange and unexplained behavior of Minette, a top fashion designer
- You must sort through a wide web of suspects and unsettling rumors to look for clues
- You'll meet Jing-Jing Ling, who may be out for revenge, and the famous photographer, Dieter von Schwesterkrank, who once had an ill-fated romance with Minette
- Explore underground catacombs and abandoned metro stations for clues, and examines age-old stories and rumors
- This exciting interactive game is rated "E" for everyone

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What our customer's say!

"First One and Still a Favorite", So far I have only tried two Nancy Drew games and Danger By Design was the best one that I played. It was really enjoyable. It was especially different since Nancy didn't have her cellphone with her and had to use regular phones in Paris with a calling card. I highly recommend this game to any Nancy Drew fan or for those just starting out with Nancy Drew games.

"best yet", My children think that this is the best one of the Nancy Drew games yet.

"Not the best, but still fun", I gave this game 4 stars simply for the fact that it is in my favorite location: Paris, France. The setting is great, and the characters are interesting. The music is rather monotanous, but not bad. The puzzles I found fascinating and fun, not too hard but not too simple. If you are a die hard ND fan than I would definitely recommend buying this game. It is a good game, overall. One of my main 'beefs' with it was the ending--or lack thereof. It seemed rather juvenile and a little on the stupid side. I am sorry to be harsh, but that's the truth of it! :)

~Laura

"Not the best ND but it's up there.", Hey, I'm 43 and I love ND games. This was a good one but not one of the best. Still, it was entertaining and the puzzles were pretty easy except for the total dark room. That requires sticky notes on your monitor. LOL

Still took me 2 days to get through.

I have every ND game, and out of all of them, I'd rate this on a scale from 1-10, about a 7-1/2.

"Doesn't Stack up to Others", I am a HUGE fan of the Nancy Drew game series and have played about 6 or 7 of them already. Danger by Design was one of my least favorites. Although the scenery is nice and it shows alot of Paris, there is little to do at all of the locations and the tasks seem to get repetitive. After talking to the characters a few times they had little to say and there was not alot of interaction with them. There were much much less puzzles and clues to gather as there are in other ND games. Most of the game time is spent doing silly tasks like baking cookies and fixing a copy machine. And when there was a real puzzle to do it was very difficult to solve and the solutions were not something someone would have logically come up with. The plot was choppy and there were two angles to the story that had absolutely nothing to do with one another. I finished the entire game in one afternoon and the ending was lame, no excitement at all. This might me a better game for a much younger group because the tasks are easy and there are no real scary parts as there are in many of the ND games. Overall I give this game a 3 because it still had some good aspects and I love the ND series. This one goes in with the category of Kapu Cave, not horrible, but not the best.

Read this reviews before You buy...

"Mystery? What mystery?", Even at the age of 15, I am still a big Nancy Drew fan, both the games and the books. I bought this game with the desperate hope that it would live up to the expectations brought around by its unbelievably fantastic predesecor, Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon. "Blue Moon Canyon" had been my favorite ND game of all time, and I was hoping that they were only going to get better from here. *sigh* How wrong I was!
First of all... what mystery? Nancy flies all the way out to Paris to go undercover as a fashion designer's assistant, to... solve a robbery? Investigate a killing? NO! Find out why this lady that Nancy doesn't even know is acting so weird! If Minette's friends wanted to know why she was acting so strangely, they should've called a therepist, not a world-famous detective. I know that they did the same thing in Curse of Blackmoor Manor: Nancy goes abroad to find out why a lady is acting weird. However, in Blackmoor Manor, the woman's behavoir is a lot more wild and alarming, and this one was more on a personal level.
And the solution to the so-called 'mystery' was so lame and outlandish that it made me wonder for a few moments if I'd dreamed it. Because it did not seem possible that HerInteractive (the makers of the fantastic Blue Moon Canyon game) could dare to use something so trivial as the solution to the mystery that I slaved for hours on. I could've accomplished the same thing in 20 seconds by tackling her and ripping the mask off. But, no, I had to go through many many hours of solving puzzles, earning money, making cookies, scaring away rabid squirrels.
Hang with me, the rant's almost over. Just one more thing: the climax.
The climax, to me, is the most important part of a Nancy Drew game. It is the time where you are inches from solving the mystery and finishing the game, when... BAM! One of the suspects shows up, identifies themselves as the culprit, and then you (as Nancy) have to face one last challenge in order to stop them from 'getting away'. (This challenge is usually the hardest part of the game). Then, once you finish that, the game is over and you get to sit back and relax for the epilouge.
However, the climax in this game... how shall I put this politely... stunk.
First of all, what culprit? All you're trying to do is figure out why Minette is wearing a mask all the time and throwing potted plants at her assistants (who sometimes rightly deserve it.. *cough* naughty Heather *cough*). The only thing the climax consists of is standing in Minette's studio while the two of you start kick-boxing each other. You have a stamina bar for the first time in Nancy Drew history, and all you have to do is block her punches until her stamina bar drops all the way down and she falls asleep/faints/dies or whatever she does at the end. If I wanted to see two people beating each other up, I'd watch my cousin play Grand Theft Auto, and at least they wouldn't water down the fights like HerInteractive did. (Well, the game does say 10 and up) And then the mask falls off and I go, "What's this, a joke?"
Ok, now that I'm finished ranting and raving, I'll talk about the good things.
The puzzles, as always, were challenging and time-consuming (in a good way). There were some pretty cool sub-plots about death threats and something about World War Two. The graphics quality had reached an all-time high. The characters were fun and exciting, and there was, as always, those classic lines that make you crack up every time you hear them.
However, all in all, I'm afraid the good things don't outweight the bad. If you've got your heart set on finishing every game in the series, go for it. However, if someone just bought you the game for Christmas or something, I'd definitly shove it under the bed and spend your time better by playing Blue Moon Canyon (which is a very good game).

"Another great Nancy Drew game from Her Interactive, Inc.", This game, by far, is one of my favorites. What drew me to it was that Nancy was doing her sleuthing in Paris. Although you really don't learn much about the "City of Love", it is cool to be able to travel around someplace new and you also get to explore the Underground Catacombs. Sleuthing in Europe is also what drew me to Nancy Drew - Curse of Blackmoor Manor.

What I liked best about the game was that it was a little longer than earlier ND games. I also liked how in this game, there is a mystery within a mystery to solve. This game also had a bit of humor to it when Nancy had to try to pronounce the name of a photographer she met at a cafe. Apparently she skipped French in high school. It was also funny when she and the photographer were arguing over the pronuciation of her roommate's name, J.J. And finally, I applaud HI for not making Minette's fitting model, J.J. Ling, a size 2. Minette designs clothing for full-figured girls and J.J. has to remain a size 12. (Which means she can pig out on mint chocolate chip cookies if she looses weight.)

As far as the puzzles are concerned, some were difficult, some were easy, and one was tedious and frustrating: Nancy had to collect 9 bugs that were running about in Minette's studio. Another game that is a bit frustrating is when Nancy has to develope photographs in a dark room. It is not easy when you can't see anything but there is a cheat code to it to by-pass the puzzle. And the cheat code also gets you an easter egg. When in the darkroom, just flush the toilet several times and, Voila, the pictures are done. However, if you decide not to use the cheat code, each time you make a mistake, you will cause an explosion. I loved the end, though. This is the first game that I have played where Nancy Drew actually gets physical with the villian. She actually ends up in a fight.

Overall, this game is fun for all. My 8-yo daughter enjoys playing the game and has been able to get through them with some help from me and Universal Hints. I highly recommend this game for anyone who enjoys Nancy Drew and mysteries.

"Danger by Design: Fun but LONG", I am almost 13 years old and i have played some of the ND games. In my opinion, this game was one of the longest I have played. I have only played four of them, Message a Haunted Mansion, this one, Treasure in the Royal Tower, and the Final Scene.

In this mystery, you have to make many trips back and fourth. When you first start, there are many names you need to remember or things become very difficult. Although it was long, I had a lot of fun. There are many puzzles and games. You even get to disarm a bomb.

The end of the mystery has a big twist that shocked me. So if you have the time to play this one, I would recommend it. But if u don't, you will have a difficult time.

"There Is No "Danger" By Design", Nancy Drew: Danger By Design (14)

-Before I Begin...
My review will be spilt up into sections and have a in-depth look at that topic. If you hate reading medium/long reviews or just don't have the patience I would not continue reading, but if you want to learn the most about the product before you buy it you'll continue.

-Gameplay & Interface
This series uses a simple and easy to use point-and-click interface. Your cursor will change to an appropriate arrow when you reach a hotspot to move to. Also when manipulating items or playing games we get a white hand (sometimes its blue) and then a hand with a toolbox icon to add stuff to our inventory. On the bottom panel of the screen we have a Menu button, Toolbox, Journal, Coin Purse and Help button. This interface is very easy so you should have no troubles waltzing around Paris and retrieving items. The Main Menu has been the same in this series for a long time. It includes basic options which are easy to navigate to. The Save/Load page is still just a little clunky. You can't delete your saved games and the prompts get annoying but not to much when you are Saving/Loading/Rewriting a game. A new way to tutorial has been introduced too. You finally see Nancy's Room and her desk. She has some memorabilia form past games, a how-to guidebook, a case file, and your plane ticket which asks for Senior or Junior Detective Levels. I enjoyed this disguised tutorial idea, but Her Interactive should sooner or later find out a way to fix that Save/Load page.
****

-Plot
The main plot was very interesting. Minette is falling behind on her Spring Fashion Collection because of threatening notes and phone calls. Not only is she falling behind but she is firing people left and right and throwing strange tantrums. And somehow all of this has put herself behind a mask. Nancy Drew is recruited as an intern by Amy Grunhild(Minette's financial advisor) to go undercover to find out what is really going on behind that mask wearing fashion designer. The problem is you don't really feel undercover at all because you don't get any Second Chance options (where you goof up) to show what you're really up to. This game would have better if this plot tied into this next sub-plot. While Nancy is uncovering clues on who is getting revenge on Minette, she learns about Noisette Tornarde. This woman was of the French Resistance and fell in love with a German solider, the French enemy at the time. She supposedly stole works of art from France and hid them during the war. She also was looked down on for fraternizing with the enemy on both sides of the war. Before she died she claimed she hid the works of art somewhere in her beloved city. The connection between Minette and Noisette? Noisette lived in the Moulin that Minette now calls her "House Of Design". I liked the sub-plot as well, but did we really need it to be in this game? I can understand that Her Interactive probably wanted you to learn a little background of France while you're "there", but it really doesn't connect with the fantastic Minette plot. Not only does it barely connect but I felt like I was finding out more about Noisette than getting farther in the mystery. This game did not have a climax. There was no "break in the case" or "Oh this clue has got me two steps closer to who is threatening Minette!" or "I better watch my back because the culprit knows I'm on to something!". Her Interactive used one great plot but totally ruined it by not including a climax and trying to merge another plot into it. It's still worth giving credit for it though because of how creative the plots were, interesting and mostly-fun the plots were.
***

-Characters
There was a good variety of characters in this game. They were all interesting (especially Minette). There is Heather McKay, a young intern working for Minette. I can't tell if she is a teen or a college student but either way this is the second time Her Interactive has brought in a younger character (The first time was in ND 11 with Jane Penvellyn). She is confident and obviously good at her job because Minette hasn't fired her...yet. I wish we could talk to her more though (Unfortunately, this game doesn't have that much character interaction) and learn some more stuff about her. I only know that she is an intern who is hopeful to be a famous fashion designer who doesn't really have a motive to threaten Minette. Minette has a ex-boyfriend that is one of the characters, named Dieter von Schwesterkrank. He is a famous fashion photographer who may still have a nasty grudge on Minette. We do some tasks for him, find a secret passage in his office and talk to him every once in a while. But most of the time he is in his darkroom developing photos, probably more like hiding the truth from Nancy. Its hard to say if you'll enjoy this character, you really just talk about anything but himself. Nancy stays with one of Minette's fitting models, Jing-Jing Ling (That's an interesting name). She is an Australian who apparently was tricked into a contract that forces her to stay in Paris and be a fitting model. She can't wait to get out of Paris, is that because she is afraid she will be arrested for the threats to Minette? She may not be your favorite character because she lies to make her life seem more interesting, she's certainly not trustworthy, we may not know what she is lying about or not. Again, you won't learn that much about her. And there is Jean-Michel Traquenard, a gossip columnist. He is not interesting at all, and barely has no motive and very small role in the game. I could not see how he was a suspect. We finally have gotten to the best character of all in this game, Minette. The bad-tempered, eccentric, fashion designer. She is very interesting to watch and listen to. She is quite unpredictable and one of my favorite characters in this series. Could she be making the threats up herself just to gain publicity in the fashion world? These characters would have been a lot more fun if we actually got to know them better, enough said.
***

-Setting & Graphics
The graphics in this game were wonderful. It was a feast for the eye! Her Interactive did a great job on these graphics I must say. The park was very realistic and the Moulin had a eerie sense. Jing-Jing Ling's apartment is full of light and charm, and the underwater (and underground) passages were very realistic. The music in this game was spectacular as always and made the setting more real. Although Her Interactive made me feel like I was in Paris, it would have been nice to see the Eiffel Tower (or visit it).
*****

-Puzzles/Activities
The puzzles were not as exciting and connected as they could have been. You mainly run errands for Minette (although it is understandable because Nancy is an intern) and the other characters. There seemed to be a lot "If you do this for me, I'll give you this". Its okay to that once or three times but it gets annoying after a while. Errands and trading were the bulk of this game, it was disappointing. I loved searching through the underwater tunnels, translating French, and baking cookies. Her Interactive definitely needs to work on their puzzles. In fact, opening Minette's "dodo" box is a similar puzzle used in The Secret Of Shadow Ranch (10), and The Final Scene (5).
***

-Ending
Some people seemed to complain on how this ending did not make sense and did not relate to the game at all. But I found the actual ending (meaning confronting the culprit) suspenseful and exciting. Her Interactive has never done an ending like this before (Maybe that's why people don't like it as much) and I thought it was quite entertaining. You don't catch the culprit, as you have in previous games, you have to fight the culprit. The person they choose as the culprit was a good choice, and I thought the motive to whatever they did was good. I think that the game ended rather abruptly though. One minute you find out an exciting secret about Noisette and the next your accidentally overhearing the culprit talk. I think there should have been suspense leading up to the ending instead, somewhat like the ending in Danger On Deception Island (9).
****

-Overall
This game was fun at points but was definitely not as good as some of the earlier games. It lacked suspense that the plot needed. The character interaction seems to be lessening and the puzzles are starting to get unoriginal and repetitive. Sure every game needs some repetitive chores to keep the game alive, but when almost all the puzzles are like that you start to get bored. I'll admit the game was enjoyable, give it a try because it's a decent game. I would recommend buying this on sale because it is worth about $17 not exactly $20. Good game, although lacking it's predecessors' qualities, but still a fun game.

Add all these up and divide by 6...
4 *'s (Gameplay & Interface)
3 *'s (Plot)
3 *'s (Characters)
5 *'s (Setting & Graphics)
3 *'s (Puzzles)
4 *'s (Ending)
= 22 Stars Divide By 6 (Categories) = About 3 Stars

-Recommended Nancy Drew Games
Danger On Deception Island
The Curse Of Blackmoor Manor
Last Train To Blue Moon Canyon

"Superb, just like the rest!", As with all Nancy Drew games, this one is refreshing, fun and all-around wholesome entertainment. Each Nancy Drew game offers up something different; it'd be super boring and SO predictable if each one was exactly alike. Great graphics, humorous scenes and stuff to make your brain actually THINK instead of go numb are included in every game. So, DEFinitely go out and buy this game--all the other ones, too!! You'll be so glad you did!