Kids Product Review - Nancy Drew: Message in a Haunted Mansion

Products

Kids Product Review:

Nancy Drew: Message in a Haunted Mansion
Interactive PC CD-ROM

Her Interactive
Genre: Mystery Adventure
Age Range: Teen Girls [great for family]
for Windows 95/98
Price: $19.99 US
Parent's Choice Gold Award 2000

Growing up I was a huge fan of Nancy Drew. It's been years since I've had the opportunity to explore the mystery of Nancy and her adventures. Nancy Drew: Message in a Haunted Mansion was a great way for me to return to my youth.

Storyline
Teen detective Nancy Drew is invited by a friend to San Francisco to assist in the renovation of a Victorian mansion. Nancy isn't the only guest though and soon finds visitors from the past - who want the place to themselves. There is a fortune of long-lost gold in the mansion and someone has to find it.

Features

First person mystery adventure game seen through Nancy's eyes

Historically accurate three-level Victorian mansion

Numerous puzzles within the game

Difficulty settings for Junior and Senior detectives with help lines.

Non-violent play

Online chat session available for players to share clues and hints.

System Requirements
Windows 95/98, 166 MHz Pentium processor, 16MB RAM; 130 MB available space on hard disk; 16-bit color graphics video card; 8x CD-ROM drive; 16-bit Windows-compatible stereo sound card; mouse and speakers.

Review:
Installing the software was quite simple with the install shield walk through. However you should ask parents to help you out if you've never installed software before. I had to reset my colors to the necessary 16-bit as it would not run on my system set at 24-bit.

Once you start the game you'll find it's very easy to navigate around. Use your sleuthing skills to figure out where to go and what you are looking for. If you've never played before be sure to take a moment to read the tutorial that comes when you install the game. If you do get stuck you can visit the online chatroom at Her Interactive to see if other sleuths have some tips for you.

The animation and characters are wonderful and each offers their own story to tell and clues to the mystery. The self-updating journal helps you keep track of your clues as you find them.

Although the game is aimed at teen girls, anyone who loves a good mystery will enjoy this interactive mystery.

More Nancy Drew:
Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake | Secret of the Scarlet Hand | The Haunted Carousel | The Creature of Kapu Cave

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About Nancy Drew
Nancy Drew debuted in 1930 and is still going strong in 2006. She is a smart, independent, gutsy and resourceful teen detective who can crack even the toughest case. Publishing in 22 languages and with more than 100 million copies in print worldwide, Nancy Drew has engaged readers and served as a role model globally for generations. Nancy Drew books are published by Simon & Schuster.

About Her Interactive
Her Interactive is the pioneer of fun and challenging interactive entertainment targeted to female play preferences. The company designs, develops and publishes high-quality, award-winning mystery adventure games. More information about the company and the Nancy Drew games can be found at www.herinteractive.com.