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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this game.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that the Nancy Drew Dossier series, of which Lights, Camera, Curses! Is the first installment, is a spin-off of Her Interactive's long-running Nancy Drew point-and-click adventure games. Gameplay has been adapted to cater to fans of casual PC downloadable games like Mystery Case Files, and involves more searching for items and figuring out how to use them in a scene. There are threats of violence, but none of it is ever acted upon. Nancy frequently uses bobby pin to break into peoples' offices and open locked boxes under the pretext of gathering evidence for her case.
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What’s It About?
In NANCY DREW DOSSIER: LIGHTS, CAMERA, CURSES! teenage sleuth Nancy Drew travels to Hollywood to investigate a movie set that has been plagued with a series of strange accidents. Nancy soon discovers that all of the movie's key players (who include ambitious young actress Eda Brookes, cagey producer Arthur Hitchens, controlling producer Molly McKenna, and embattled director Jorge Jackson), have motives for wanting to sabotage the production.
Gameplay in the Dossier series is a mild departure from the rest of the Nancy Drew point-and-click adventures in that it's designed for fans of casual hidden object games. To that end, players will have to search each location for a variety of clue items, and then figure out how to use the item in order to solve puzzles (such as using tape to repair a torn poster). Other activities include using a flashlight to investigate dark areas, using a bobby pin to pick locks, decrypting computers, making drinks at a juice bar (to overhear gossip), and uncovering information by asking the right questions in conversations.
Is It Any Good?
Her Interactive's Nancy Drew games have a reputation for great production values and solid mystery stories that can be enjoyed by young and old players alike, and Lights, Camera, Curses! is no exception. Atmospheric music, attractive graphics, and competent voice acting (the actress for Nancy Drew reprises her role here) complement a set of challenging and creative inventory puzzles and mini-games that make sense within the context of the story.
As well, Nancy Drew continues to be a great role model for younger female gamers. Multiple endings, which are based on how many points players earn throughout the game, make a good case for replaying the game more than once.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what a "remake" is in movie terms. What are some famous movies that have been given the remake treatment (i.e. King Kong, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and did you prefer the original or the remade version? Do you think it was all right for Nancy to break into peoples' rooms and pick locked chests in order to find clues for her investigation?
Game Details
- Platforms: Windows, Mac
- Available online?: Not available online
- Publisher: Her Interactive
- Release date: November 11, 2008
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- ESRB rating: E for Mild Violence
- Last updated: November 4, 2015
Our Editors Recommend
-
Nancy Drew: The Phantom of Venice
Great mystery about going undercover in Italy.
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Nancy Drew: Legend of the Crystal Skull
Fulfilling mystery has spooky sleuthing & puzzles.
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Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst
A fun and sometimes spooky puzzler for the whole family.
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