Customer Reviews

Nancy Drew Secrets Can Kill

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(24)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I bought this game for my daughter, who was then able to guide me through the game! What a great game...rich graphics, clever riddles...a treat for anyone who loves, or loved, to spend time immersed in a Nancy Drew book.

A wonderful game for girls about age 7 or 8 and up...( I as an adult love this game). You think about it when your not playing and can't wait to come back to it. My 13 year old daughter has been playing it for about 2 years and loves it. Its challenging and really encourages intuitiveness. A great game for all levels of children!

Well, here we go. Secrets Can Kill is the start of an extraordinary series of Nancy Drew games made by Her Interactive teamed up with Dreamcatcher. This wonderful game has great graphics, a challenging mystery, and difficult yet solvable puzzles. Many people who do not play many PC games will be delightfully surprised.

The game starts out with an introduction of Nancy writing a letter to her father (I find the voices of the characters very intriguing to listen to). Nancy is visiting her Aunt Eloise, but they find out a murder has been committed at Paseo Del Mar High School. Of course, Nancy is asked to solve the case.

The original music and captivating sound effects keep you glued to the computer screen the whole time you're playing the game. This game will really surprise you. You'll be motivated to get every other game in the series after you play this one. Secrets Can Kill is wonderfully challenging, yet easy enough for younger players to solve all the puzzles, figure out what comes next in the game, and then finally crack the mystery.

In my first couple of hours playing the game, I had to explore Aunt Eloise's house, figure out the combination to a safe, solve a flower slider puzzle, and poke through a diner.

What I found intriguing in the game was that there were lots of little clues scattered about, and you really have to be a good detective and search to find them. Most of the items and clues you pick up are meant to help you beat the game, but always be on the look-out for 'hidden' things that help you to come to the conclusion that so-and-so is innocent, or there could be something that you find in a book or laying on the ground that makes one of the suspects seem very suspicious...are they the suspect, or someone else? You never can tell unless you have good sleuthing skills!

Whatever the case, each suspect has some secret to hide, and it's your job to find out these secrets and the real murderer. I recommend this game. You will not waste your money or regret getting the game!

I'm a 24 year-old Nancy Drew fan and I loved playing this game. I'm so glad a company has decided to make these games for girls. I think this is a market that is often overlooked by most gaming companies.

The puzzles are very well designed. I had to really work to solve more than one of them. I also enjoyed the fact that I had to do so much work to solve the mystery. Many adventure games just play scripts and let you watch. In this game, you have to go through every conversation. ANd if you say the wrong thing......it makes your job all that more difficult.

I loved it. I've already bought the other Nancy Drew game and am now waiting for Her Interactive to come out with a third.

I think this is an awesome game. The graphics are great and you actually believe you're Nancy Drew. I think this is a must have for all Nancy Drew fans.

First of all, I would like to point out that the editorial review above is not for Secrets Can Kill. It is for one of the other games in the series, and is therefore a better review than Secrets Can Kill deserves. It may be confusing to see the editorial review for the Tower mystery right under the title for Secrets Can Kill.
I love the Nancy Drew series, and I am a college-educated woman in my thirties. I have played four out of the first five games in the series (I have not played Stay Tuned for Danger). The other games have wonderful graphics and storylines. Talking to the other characters is enjoyable, and the puzzles are challenging enough for an adult when played on the senior detective level. I played Secrets Can Kill on the Master level (there are three levels for this game instead of two), and I found that my nine-year-old son was not challenged by the puzzles. Most of the puzzles are easily solved word puzzles that have clues as to the items to gather or hints about the character's secrets. However, most of the puzzles have nothing to do with the game play itself. There is one slide puzzle that allows you to find an inventory item; otherwise, the puzzles are just there for hints. As mentioned in other reviews, this game has cartoon-like characters rather than the 3D-type characters in the other games, and it really does make the game less interesting. The dialogue is uninteresting and the characters become hostile and barely speak to Nancy through most of the game. Overall, the game requires only a few answered puzzles to solve the mystery, and the ending is disappointing, to say the least. I gave this two stars instead of one, which was my first inclination, because I feel that it might be interesting for a child to play, especially if the child has not had very much experience with adventure games for the computer; however, a child would probably still at least want to play on the senior detective level. I recommend the other Nancy Drew games that I have played to players of any age for a nice, relaxing mystery, and I especially recommend the Haunted Mansion game. I cannot, however, recommend Secrets Can Kill.

I have now played all 3 of the Nancy Drew mystery games (that are available as I type this). This one, "Secrets Can Kill", was my least favorite. In all fairness, this was the first Nancy Drew game they made, and it's understandable that the graphics aren't as good as in the later two. This also may explain why the game is shorter; I'm guessing they realized that the game would be better if it took longer, so the other two games ("Stay Tuned For Danger" and "Message In a Haunted Mansion") have more playing time. On the other hand, because it is shorter, it's also easier, so this might be better for slightly younger girls than the other two. Also, this game requires 2 CDs--you have to switch back and forth. This was annoying at first, but soon became bearable. But really, this game was a lot of fun. Even with the less-than-stellar graphics, there were still a lot of word puzzles and things to explore. This game and "Message" both have slide puzzles, though, which I can't stand. (Okay, I'm just no good at them, I'll admit it!) Anyway, if you're interested in trying a Nancy Drew game, I highly recommend it, but I suggest you try one of the other ones first.