Nancy Drew: Ransom of the Seven Ships
By Jinny Gudmundsen,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Teenage sleuth offers puzzling PC mystery in Bahamas.
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Nancy Drew: Ransom of the Seven Ships
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What’s It About?
In NANCY DREW: RANSOM OF THE SEVEN SHIPS, you join teenage sleuth Nancy Drew and her best friends George and Bess for a mystery set in an ecotourism resort in the Bahamas. The lush island setting creates a beautiful backdrop for a mystery involving the kidnapping of Bess and the hunt for a 300-year old treasure. As with all of the Nancy Drew mysteries from Her Interactive, you see the world from a first-person perspective as if you were Nancy Drew. You explore the island paradise by driving, walking, and even sailing. You will also go scuba dive and spelunking to find clues and must solve a series of puzzles. Adding to the fun are the island’s super-intelligent monkeys who play 3 minigames with you, and a parrot who can provide you with hints.
Is It Any Good?
This is a challenging Nancy Drew mystery which is more about solving puzzles than it is about talking to suspects to collect clues. The puzzles are varied, and most are neatly incorporated into the gameplay. For example, when trying to decode some secret writings, you can experiment with which symbols stand for which letters by simply placing letters of the alphabet in slots above the symbols and the rest of the message auto-populates. On the other hand, a Sudoku-like puzzle requires you to solve it on paper, not in the game.
The game offers longevity because you can play it on two levels of difficulty. Plus an excellent feature in the game is its "Second Chance" -- where if you take a risk that causes a fatal mistake, you are automatically returned to the point before your error. You will face some harrowing situations involving stinging jellyfish, running out of air while scuba diving, and having a cave collapse on you so it is good to have this feature. This is the kind of game that parents and kids will enjoy playing together.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why Nancy Drew games are still fun after 20 of them have been produced. What makes these games so good?
Game Details
- Platform: Windows
- Available online?: Not available online
- Publisher: Her Interactive
- Release date: July 14, 2009
- Genre: Girl
- ESRB rating: E for Mild Violence
- Last updated: August 31, 2016
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