Parents' Guide to

Nancy Drew: Warnings at Waverly Academy

By Jinny Gudmundsen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

Fab fun as teen super-sleuth goes undercover at prep school.

Game Windows 2009
Nancy Drew: Warnings at Waverly Academy Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

  • Nancy Drew: Warnings at Waverly Academy Game: Screenshot #1
  • Nancy Drew: Warnings at Waverly Academy Game: Screenshot #2
  • Nancy Drew: Warnings at Waverly Academy Game: Screenshot #3

Community Reviews

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age 13+

Based on 1 parent review

Aeliene
Aeliene Parent of 15-year-old
September 2, 2010
age 13+

Wonderful, good for eight grade and above really!

Just great! The only reason I recommend it to older kids is that they would have a more standard idea that what is portrayed in the game is not completely real. It's like the teens getting annoyed at the middle schoolers for thinking that they're all that. High school does not always reflect what is portrayed in the game and even though it is a very friendly Nancy Drew game it might scare or give younger children ideas. It really is wonderful game though. I've played it myself and I think it is one of the best that HER has ever put out! A real 10 out of 10.

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Great role models
See all 1 parent review

What’s It About?

NANCY DREW: WARNINGS AT WAVERYLY ACADEMY is the 21st installment of the popular Nancy Drew series of PC games. This time Nancy is undercover at an elite boarding school for girls. Someone has been threatening the valedictorian candidates and making \"accidents\" occur, like sneaking peanuts into the food of a highly allergic student. You play as Nancy, who is pretending to be a transfer student so that she can snoop out the fiend. You solve this point-and-click mystery by talking to others, solving puzzles, and exploring the school and its grounds.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (9 ):

This is a wonderful addition to the Nancy Drew series, and one that will resonate with tween and teen girls. The mystery is good, and it plays out, in part, by using Nancy's onscreen phone to deliver text messages. She can use a special "sneak mode" to avoid the hall monitors. To solve the case, Nancy must navigate a world full of insecure, catty girls and find the truth amidst the rumors.

Also good are the game's puzzles. Nancy has to take a series of photos that meet certain criteria. She must learn to decode musical notation so that she can open a drawer that only opens when a certain song is played. Plus, these puzzles can be played on two levels of difficulty. This Nancy Drew is a little easier than some of the others.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about heroines in video games. Who is your favorite and why?

  • Nancy broke several school rules to solve this mystery. She hacked into computers, broke window, went out after curfew, and more. Why is this behavior OK within a video game, but not in real life?

  • This mystery is set in an elite girls' boarding school. Do you think the dialogue and interaction between the girl students caught the feel of what it is like to be in high school? Why or why not.

Game Details

  • Platform: Windows
  • Available online?: Not available online
  • Publisher: Her Interactive
  • Release date: October 14, 2009
  • Genre: Girl
  • ESRB rating: E for Mild Violence
  • Last updated: August 31, 2016

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