Nancy Drew: Secret of the Old Clock - E

Drive Nancy Drew's car to solve a mystery!

Publisher: Her Interactive Category/Genre: Computer Software - Role Playing Games Platform: Windows Price: $19.99 Graphics: High. Some of the best in the industry! Playability: Easy. Can play on two levels of difficulty depending on skill. Release Date: 10/12/2005 ESRB Rating: E

Common Sense Note

Parents should know NANCY DREW: SECRET OF THE OLD CLOCK contains no objectionable material, and instead presents players with a strong heroine and challenging puzzles.

Families playing this software might want to discuss how the world of the 1930s depicted in this game is different from the world today. Since one of the characters claims to be an expert in Extrasensory Perception (ESP), families may want to explore whether the accomplishments of this character are real. The mystery is based on the very first Nancy Drew book, so if your child is new to the series, this is an easy one to start with.

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Jinny Gudmundsen

The year is 1930, and you are behind the wheel of classic blue roadster, driving to meet your friend, 17-year-old Emily Crandall, who has recently inherited the Lilac Inn in the sleepy town of Titusville. While visiting, inexplicable happenings motivate you to start investigating your surroundings and the people of the town. The next thing you know, you have solved a mystery, helped your friend, and launched a career as a detective. That's because you've been playing NANCY DREW: SECRET OF THE OLD CLOCK.

This game, the 12th interactive mystery created by Her Interactive, offers a compelling storyline that kids will want to solve. Many Moms, daughters, and even grandmothers find that this is a fun software title to play together.

Her Interactive has built a reputation for delivering top-notch, family-friendly entertainment based on the Nancy Drew license. And this release won't disappoint loyal fans. It has all the Her Interactive trademarks: first-person play as Nancy Drew, intruiging characters, a rich storyline that is constantly branching, fabulous graphics, a "second chance" button so Nancy never dies, and challenging puzzles.

New to this mystery is the player's ability to drive Nancy's car. When you're driving, a small car appears on a map of the town; you direct the vehicle by using the arrow keys or the mouse. The software incorporates your driving into many aspects of solving the mystery.

Compared to the others in this series, Secret of the Old Clock is an easier and less scary mystery, making it a good entry for kids as young as age 10. Cyber-sleuths will enjoy the period music, a playable mini-golf course, research in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and a nice variety of classic and novel puzzles. Testers particularly enjoyed a Rube-Goldberg type sequence that happens when they solve the puzzle of how to focus light from a window through a series of four mirrors to make it hit a radiometer.

If your kids have never tried one of these Nancy Drew interactive mysteries, this is the perfect one to start with because this is based on the first Nancy Drew book. And, playing this software with another person can be a terrific bonding experience for parents and kids -- especially mothers and daughters. Families who enjoy this game may want to check out Nancy Drew: The Haunted Carousel.

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