Nancy Drew Secrets Can Kill

by Her Interactive

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00003IRBU
• Media: CD-ROM
• Release Date: November 23, 1999
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (97 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,912 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

From Children's Software Revue® -- "Subscribe Now!"

The first title in a series, this two-CD package puts kids in the role of teenage detective, Nancy Drew. In this adventure they explore the town of Paseo Del Mar, Florida, where an unpopular student at the high school has been murdered. As they look for evidence at each of five locations, players discover 300 hidden clues and objects, including keys, coins, a bolt cutter, a pen knife and a remote control. Many of the found objects come in handy for solving the case. The program cleverly involves kids in the action: posters in the school and menus in the diner contain encrypted messages that help unravel the mystery, and kids can talk to the murder victim's fellow students by asking series of questions. They can also get help by calling their friends using numbers on their phone card. Games can be saved for later play. We especially appreciated the "second chance" feature that lets you repeat sections of the game later on. For instance, when testers accidentally caused an explosion at the town's diner, they were glad to be able to go back to the segment just before the disaster instead of starting all over again. Some of the weaknesses of the program stem from the fact that it is a two-CD game that uses DirectX 6.0. You can install it via a compact, 40 MB installation, but we found the mouse action to be sluggish. The full installation requires 220 MB which is a hefty chunk for older, smaller hard drives. The disk swapping is frequent but testers didn't seem to mind. There's also a bug in the program that requires getting technical support or a download from the web site. On the whole, the program's strengths outweigh its weaknesses. Girls loved the murder mystery adventure theme and enjoyed exploring the high school, diner and other parts of the town. Even though finding and using the clues and objects was very challenging, they played the game repeatedly. Only one tester has solved the mystery so far and that was with the help of a cheat sheet. The next program in the series, Nancy Drew Stay Tuned for Danger, is terrific.
Teaches: logic, problem solving, deductive thinking
Age Range: 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 Copyright © 2000 Children's Software Revue

Amazon.com Review

Nancy Drew is back--but this time as an interactive sleuth. Secrets Can Kill offers stimulating, long-term gameplay with an interesting plot and intricate word games. With all the intrigue, mystery, and adventure you've enjoyed in the Nancy Drew books, this role-playing game provides challenging and exciting computer activities for girls.

In this traditional Nancy Drew mystery, you play the role of Nancy as a junior, senior, or master detective. While visiting your aunt, you become involved in a murder case at Paseo Del Mar High School. You must help the police find the person who killed Jake Rogers--a notorious member of the student body. Through sleuthing with your ever-present magnifying glass, you discover hundreds of clues, each leading to the truth behind the students of the high school.

Secrets Can Kill employs 3-D graphics with detailed animations. Each character reacts to Nancy's specific situations. The intelligence of the game leaves nothing to be assumed--and the creepy music and hazardous situations keep you on your toes. Remember to talk to everyone, and check for evidence in the most unlikely places. With a surprise ending--unless you are the ultimate supersleuth--Secrets Can Kill is a fantastic mystery for girls of all ages. --Madeleine Miller

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

94 of 97 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible game for girls, December 7, 1999

By 

masterofmydomain (Saratoga, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nancy Drew Secrets Can Kill (CD-ROM)

Finally a game that not only is designed for girls but is awesome too. My daughters (ages 10, 12 and 14) started playing it and within six hours had about 30 PostIt notes all over the sides of the monitor keeping track of clues to the solving the case. They finally solved the case after about 20 hours of intense teamwork playing and now play the game over again with each of their friends. The installation was so easy my 10 year old did it in about ten minutes on her own. The quality of the game is great and some of the graphics in the game are so real they look like photographs. I just ordered the new Nancy Drew game, "Stay Tuned for Danger" for their Christmas gift and another copy of "Secrets Can Kill" for their nieces Christmas gift.

39 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars challenging, but fun, May 14, 2000

By 

Patricia A. Powell (gladstone, nj USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nancy Drew Secrets Can Kill (CD-ROM)

Mom's review: I bought this for my 10 year old daugther, and she loves it. While she hasn't solved the case yet she has enjoyed hours of finding clues and moving through the case.

Persistence, and thinking carefully pays off with this game. So do good notes. The graphics are great and Nancy's magnifying glass changes color when directed at a clue or direction in which she can move

Kymmi's review: I really liked "Secrets Can Kill" It's really exiting when you hear the freaky music when you're alone in one room. The way you talk to someone when you're Nancy Drew is so cool they actually give you choices on what to say. I would rate this Cd rom an eight because it's a really good game but it's realy hard and adult. Because I'm only ten. But if I were 12 or 13 I would rate it a 10.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for all ages, December 14, 2000

By 

Cathy K-J (Charlottesville, VA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nancy Drew Secrets Can Kill (CD-ROM)

I confess. I'm 20 years old, and still a Nancy Drew Fan. On the hunt for a new Riven-esque game, with a 'solve a mystery while exploring various locales' type theme, I stumbled across the Nancy Drew games from Her Interactive. I decided to try Secrets Can Kill, the first game, and see what they were like. I was instantly hooked. Although designed for younger people, I still found this game challenging and enjoyable. I especially enjoyed the different puzzles that turn up throughout the game, from the standard 'read the words backwards' ones, to the more confusing puzzles requiring you to find different bits of info in several places, and then combine them for a solution. My only gripes with this game are that the cursor is not quite versatile enough - it changes to an upside down arrow when you are both turning around or exiting a building, which was confusing the first few times it happened. I also didn't like that some of the hallways in the High School were nearly indestinguishable. I spent a lot of time going back and forth trying to find my way to the library or some other location. Last, the conversations with the students didn't always run the way I would have liked - if you choose to ask the wrong question first, you lost the opportunity to ask a more vital one later in the same conversation. This can be annoying, and time consuming, as you have to go back and forth to the same person trying to use up all your conversation options. Overall, though, I would highly reccomend this game to any fan of a challenging, fun, exciting computer game. This game is great for kids and adults alike, and may even provide some good family time in front of the computer (something very rare these days), as the whole family can certainly sit down and work out the puzzles together or just have fun while exploring the different places within the game while searching for clues.