Step into the stylish shoes of teen supersleuth Nancy Drew to crack the case of the haunted mansion. As Nancy, you'll hang your hat in San Francisco, where you've been invited to help a family friend renovate a historic Victorian home. Some strange things have been happening in the old house--could it be spirits from the past, or just shifty characters on the make? Use your magnifying glass to search the place from top to bottom for clues. You'll find trap doors, personal papers, keys, tools--all sorts of spots and items to explore or hang onto for later use. You never know when you might need a paint scraper or crowbar to help you out of a bind. To fill in some of the gaps, talk to characters in the game, and choose your responses to their questions based on what you want to know. Play Message in a Haunted Mansion in one of two modes: new or younger players can sign in as junior detectives for more simplified play, while old pros can log in as senior detectives for serious sleuthing. Once you're in, you may never want to leave--the graphic detail of the Victorian-mansion setting is stellar. The Chinese-influenced décor is authentically and exquisitely reproduced, and many elements can be highlighted to better focus on the level of detail. (Those interested in Victorian interiors will be especially pleased.) Also realistic are often-overlooked touches that add a true-to-life ring, such as photos of family and friends on the wall, and sunglasses kept in the kitchen drawer. The sound effects further add to the sense of realism and heighten the air of suspense. You'll hear doors and cabinets creak open and shut, haunting cries, and loose chandeliers swaying overhead.
This third installment in the popular Nancy Drew interactive series (a follow-up to Stay Tuned for Danger and Secrets Can Kill) is successful not just for its design and production, but for its thoughtful features that keep players hooked, even as things start to feel hopeless. When you're in a bind, you can call home or old friends Bess and George for help. And if you make a game-ending decision, simply pick up right where you left off before the terminal mistake by utilizing the Second Chance feature. There's even a self-updating journal in Nancy's suitcase that records clues as you find them, to help you keep track of all the facts you unearth. And, of course, you can save your game after each session--no backtracking through clues you've already found, or conversations you've already had.
Our only complaint: the game takes some time to install, which can be hard to stomach if you've played the previous Nancy Drew games and are as excited to play the third as we were. But once you're in the game and can see the wealth of what awaits, you'll realize that it's worth a lengthy installation. A nice improvement over previous games is the inclusion of a tutorial to explain gameplay to new users. (Ages 10 and older) --Leah Ball
