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Nancy Drew Dossier: Resorting to Danger (Windows)

common sense media says

Gumshoe game for girls overflows with clever conundrums.

parents & educators say
See all 3 reviews | Review it

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this puzzle game geared for girls features a smart, affable heroine who relies on her intelligence to unravel mysteries. Consequently, the player must also put on her thinking cap and employ logic and memory to solve the game’s conundrums, which include dynamic hidden object puzzles and text-based riddles. There is no sexuality or offensive language, and very little in the way of any real violence (the prank bombs she investigates release things like goo and bugs, and aren’t really dangerous).

Educational value: Players must think laterally and use logic to work out solutions to several problems.
Positive messages: Players have to discover who is setting off annoying prank bombs at a local spa in order to ensure the safety of its guests. It teaches players to use logic and their memories to solve problems.
Positive role models: Our hero is a plucky young gumshoe who isn’t afraid of confronting troublemakers and uses her wits to solve problems. She can be a bit snoopy at times (she’s always on the lookout for an opportunity to inspect suites and offices when their occupants aren’t around), but everything she does is for the good of the case.
Ease of play: Onscreen instructions lead players through the game’s controls and various activities, and plenty of hints are available for when players become stumped.
Violence: The game features several prank bombs, but they pose no physical threat. When they explode -- with a mild boom -- they release things like bugs and green goo. When players encounter these bombs they try to disarm them. If they fail to succeed, the screen turns white and the activity starts again. Near the end of the game one character threatens that there may be a bomb that could cause real damage.
Sex: Not an issue.
Language: Not an issue.
Consumerism: This game exploits the popular Nancy Drew license. It is the latest in a long line of games to use the famed heroine's name from Her Interactive.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not an issue.
Our ratings and reviews are informed by child development guidelines. Learn more.

More on Nancy Drew Dossier: Resorting to Danger

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
  • Families can talk about the lasting appeal of Nancy Drew, a character that has charmed girls for nearly 80 years. Have you read her books? Watched the recent movie? Played other games in which she has appeared? Does her character remain constant throughout? Do you think she’s best suited to one particular medium?
  • Families can also discuss under what circumstances -- if any -- it is okay to snoop. Nancy Drew does it quite a bit, and she always seems to have good reason, but could she get away with this sort of behavior in real life? What would the repercussions be like?

What's the story?

What's the story?
NANCY DREW DOSSIER: RESORTING TO DANGER, the latest downloadable PC game to bear the name of the classic youth sleuth, is the second entry in Her Interactive’s new Nancy Drew Dossier series. The first one mashed together a variety of casual game types, including hidden object puzzles and matching games, and this one follows the same formula. Nancy Drew has been called to a celebrity spa to investigate a series of prank bombings that are wreaking havoc among the guests. She searches rooms in the building, looking for objects such as scraps of paper and switches, then either combines or interacts with them to reveal yet more clues. Between these puzzles are games in which players must match up halved letters to spell out words of warning left by the troublemaker, make molecules by matching like-colored spheres to create chemical formulas, and answer and route phone calls to learn more about the spa and its workers and guests. Your detective rank gradually increases as you earn points for solving smaller mysteries and identify potential suspects and victims.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

Her Interactive’s Nancy Drew games have a reputation for quality, and Resorting to Danger lives up to the franchise’s high standards. The narrative is engaging and features a cast of colorful characters such as a dour janitor, a moody mogul, and a pompous manager, all of whom are voiced enthusiastically by a talented cast of actors.

The activities are, by and large, a lot of fun -- especially the hidden object games. Finding a metal ingot, a key mold, a towel, a bucket of water, and smelting iron, then combining them in order to create a functional key that opens a hidden lock, for example, is a nice change of pace from traditional hidden object games that don’t offer players anything to do with the items they search for after they’re found. And while the matching games aren’t as habit forming as a blockbuster like Bejeweled, they’re engaging enough for the few times we have to play them. Nothing in the Resorting to Danger is particularly innovative, but everything has been polished to a fine shine.

Online interaction: Not an issue.

Game themes & details

Game Details
Available on: Windows
Not available online
Genre: Girl
Developer: Her Interactive
Released on: August 25, 2009
Price: 19.99
ESRB Rating: E10+ for Mild Violence
Screenshots
This review was written by Chad Sapieha
 
 

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Most useful reviews by all members

Reviewr
adult
12
 
Cool
This game is awsome i recomend it 12+, it's a game where you can learn about History after around an hrs play i got stuck into it, it took me 30 mins to get to know the basics, i rate it 20 / 20.00 It doesn't cost much, i got mine at: *rewards1*/index.php?referrer_id=1116923 Just make an account and do the offers, it should take 20 mins to get the points to buy the game, it's a trusted website mcaffee knows about this website. And even they support it. What are you waiting for?
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helped me decide (3) | had useful details (4) | read my mind (3)
shayshay96
teen, 15 years old
7
 
perfect for anyone who wants a quick game
This is one of my favorite games, as there is multiple different ways to play it. Although, you always knew who the culprit was, as you got to choose who you thought it was in the beginning. Nomadder who you choose, it always ended up the person that you choose.
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helped me decide (3) | had useful details (3) | read my mind (3)
booty
teen, 16 years old
14
 
i love it
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helped me decide (3) | had useful details (2) | read my mind (2)

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ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child, some content may not be right for some kids
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