Windows

Nancy Drew: Treasure in the Royal Tower

This title is appropriate for kids (girls and boys) ages 12 and up. There's nothing gory or explicitly violent about the game. Instead, there's plenty of atmosphere. As well, there are puzzles to solve and thinking exercises. It's addictive and fun, and highly recommended. Be prepared to spend plenty of time (the publisher predicts 20 hours) scouring the castle and grounds for clues. In the end, you'll catch the culprit and solve the case.

Of course, the best part of the game is solving puzzles with your children. Don't hesitate to ask your young detective to try their hand at the game or puzzle that your parental mind hasn't been able to solve. You would be surprised at the detective perspective of a child sleuth. Two heads are certainly better than one, so this game is an excellent way for parents to get to know their kids by working together to find the Treasure in the Royal Tower.

If I were you, I’d grab my thermos and make haste to play as Nancy Drew in this fab adventure from the award winning series. You can’t go wrong with a game that features a diverse set of characters, great graphics, over twenty hours of interactive game play, and event great attention to details like lip synching.

I thought the game could have provided more chills, by way of production design and a few more surprises. The castle isn't the least bit scary, (even for a ten year old) let alone "chilling." Inevitably, though, I'd give it about a 7.5 on a scale of 1 to 10.

Chalk up another great success for HerInteractive with this latest in the series of Nancy Drew mysteries. They've got a good thing going here and I'm looking forward to the next release!

There may be minor disappointments in the sound quality, but the overall game is enjoyable and entertaining. This program is rated for Everyone, and while featuring some typical girlish wistful thoughts about boys, can be played by either gender for the adventure qualities of the product.

"Drew ... Nancy Drew." Yes, the famous young sleuth is back in Nancy Drew. In her fourth graphic adventure from Her Interactive, mystery-magnet Nancy Drew finds herself thrown into a situation fraught with puzzling intrigue.

In many games, the puzzles start out easy and gain in difficulty as the player advances through the game. This is not the case in NDTRT, which never panders to the player by handing out clues too easily. Exploring your environment and interacting with the game’s characters is a must, or you won’t get far. This also adds a level of depth that other games are lacking. I love Myst and many of its successors, but there is no denying the value that additional character interaction can add to a game. It increases insight, helps to develop story and plot, and ultimately it’s just more entertaining to mingle with other characters in a game.

I thought though that the game was a bit flat and static. More animations would have helped or perhaps the characters could have moved around the gameworld more. Also, the game environment occupies about two thirds of the screen, the rest being taken up with the permanently open inventory, a speech window, and some decoration. Those two aspects together meant that I didn't engage as much with this game as I have with others. I certainly enjoyed it, I just felt a bit distant from it.

Those of you who think the Nancy Drew adventure games are for "girls only," think again. In fact, the entire series is great entertainment for the whole family -- young and old, boys as well as girls. In Treasure in the Royal Tower, the 4th game in the series, Her Interactive once again succeeds in bringing the teenage detective to life.