Nancy Drew: Danger by Design - E
Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that Nancy Drew can mess up and either die or be fired from her job. However, the game has a second-chance button that allows players to reenter the game just before the decision that caused them to lose.
Families can talk about the long-term popularity of Nancy Drew. Why has she stayed so popular? How does she compare to other fictional female heroes -- past or present? Parents may take this opportunity to introduce the original book series to their kids. Families might also want to talk about how many great works of art were hidden during World War II.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Jinny Gudmundsen
In DANGER BY DESIGN, the 14th Nancy Drew software mystery, Nancy jets off to Europe to solve a mystery set in the world of Paris' fashion designers. Behind the haute couture backdrop lurks a historical mystery dating back to World War II.
Nancy has been sent to Paris to investigate the erratic and bizarre behavior of Minette, an American designer who's been rising quickly in the fashion world. When Nancy arrives, under the cover of being Minette's new assistant, she discovers that Minette has taken to wearing a white mask and never shows her face.
Nancy overhears several yelling fits and experiences Minette's wildly fluctuating moods. Minette has fired numerous assistants, and she's behind schedule on her upcoming Spring Collection. Nancy also discovers that Minette is receiving written threats and that there are rumors of historic art treasures hidden in the windmill where Minette works.
To get to the bottom of the mystery, players interview Minette's contacts, run errands for her, explore the parks and underground catacombs of Paris, ride the Metro, and visit the city's cafes. In the process, they encounter many puzzles that need to be solved to move the story forward.
For example, Nancy discovers that a bomb has been placed on the door of Minette's workroom. To disarm it, players need to reconfigure its circuitry. In another puzzle, players must develop photos in a darkroom. It can be tricky trying to figure out how to move the photos through the series of trays even though the screen is completely black.
As with all the previous Nancy Drew software mysteries, these visual environments are stunning. It seems as though you could reach out and touch the textured wallpapers and the gleaming marble.
But while Her Interactive continues to refine how to create photorealistic environments and characters, they've opted not to advance the technology of their gameplay. To move, players click and wait for the computer to advance the scene. While in the center of a room, players move the cursor to the right or left and institute a 360-degree view of a room. But unlike video games, this software doesn't allow players to move in a fluid motion. This low-tech method of exploration works well in this setting because it allows players the time to determine which objects they want to explore closer up.
Danger by Design is great fun for families, and especially girls, to play together. Our testers appreciated extra help from family members, particularly when navigating underwater tunnels. For younger children, the game can be played on the Junior Detective level, in which more hints are offered and the puzzles are easier to solve.
Another kid-friendly feature is the "Second Chance" option, which allows you to restart from wherever you fail. Since Minette is so demanding, players will frequently get fired for not responding quickly enough; but with the "Second Chance" option, they're immediately back on the job.
For more Nancy Drew, check out The Secret of the Old Clock and The Haunted Carousel.
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ViolenceNancy Drew can die. In one scene, she must disarm a bomb. |
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Educational ValueChallenging puzzles will get brains working. |
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