Nancy Drew: Danger on Deception Island

Other products by Atari

Product Features

• An unknown assailant has vandalized the whale-watching boat owned by Nancy's host, Katie Firestone. Nancy will explore Snake Horse Harbor to uncover the truth to this new mystery!
• Use Nancy's new cellular phone & GPS system to collect clues and chart a course at sea
• Uncover clues and interact with townsfolk, as you study the strange threat in the rolling fog
• Click on the Second Chance option to avoid making mistakes
• Go kayaking in crystal clear waters and shadowy sea caves, and figure out if this crime is related to the orca whale that's been spotted in the harbor

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000CEM5O
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.2 x 1.2 inches ; 4.8 ounces
• Media: CD-ROM
• Release Date: October 3, 2003
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (81 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,707 in Video Games (See Bestsellers in Video Games)

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  #3 in	Software > Children's Software > Interactive Books
  #5 in	Software > Children's Software > Thinking & Problem Solving
  #6 in	Software > Children's Software > Games > Adventure

• This is item 9 in The Nancy Drew Computer Games Series.

Product Description

Product Description
In Nancy Drew: Danger on Deception Island, the teen detective's vacation in the Pacific Northwest runs aground, and it's up to her to figure out why! Ages 10 & up

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Of The Bunch, October 21, 2003

By	Catnip "Beth" (USA) - See all my reviews

I was so disappointed with Haunted Carousel that I decided to wait for budget versions of any new games. After reading a couple of reviews for Danger on Deception Island, I quickly changed my mind. I'm so glad I decided to buy this game, because it is the very best of the Nancy Drew games so far, and I've played all of them.
I'm the mother of an 11-year-old son. I played the game as a senior detective and he played on the junior detective level. This game had enough challenging elements to keep me busy and yet was not too difficult for my son on junior level. There is a real, meaningful difference between the junior and senior levels in this game; something that is often missing in games that are marketed to both adults and children.
This game is probably three times the length of Haunted Carousel, and it is packed with interesting puzzles. Nancy must find coordinates for a locator device, open secret passageways, use a morse code device, dig for clams and learn a little about chess, just to name a few challenges she faces in this game. The game also contains little diversions that are fun and satisfying, such as building a sand castle and playing feed the whale, and Nancy learns a lot about whales and dolphins in the process. Scattered throughout the game are little reminders of previous adventures as a nod to loyal fans.

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nancy makes a splash in the Pacific Northwest!!, October 29, 2003

By	Veggiechiliqueen - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

Teenage sleuth Nancy Drew is back and better than ever in her latest case, Danger on Deception Island. This time around Nancy is visiting marine biologist Katie Firestone at her friends request, but things go wrong as usual. Shortly after Ms. Drews arrival at to the San Juan Islands, Katie discovers that her whale watching boat has been vandalized. While Katie makes everything shipshape, Nancy is hot on the trail of the vandals, along with investigating recent burglaries, digging up Snake Horse Harbors past and making friends with a local legend.

Besides Katie, Nancy meets Holt Scotto, fisherman and harbormaster candidate, Jenna Deblin, owner of the Hot Kettle Café, and Andy Jason, who runs a rival whale watching business and wants to buy Katie out. Add to that strange fish that have been washing up on shore, a string of burglaries, and an eccentric widow who launches messages in bottles into the harbour.

Danger on Deception Island is the most organic and satisfying of the nine current Nancy Drew games from Her Interactive. Several new additions include bicycling (similar to the motorboat interface used in Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake) and kayaking, WWW access from Nancys trusty laptop and more. The puzzles were excellently integrated into the gaming environment, making use of the Pacific Northwests charms: building sand castles, kayaking sea caves, bicycling the winding coastal roads, exploring a lighthouse, and digging for clams on deserted beaches. Nancy must also help Katie restore her boat to working order. There are several fun activities not necessary to win the game, including fixing sandwiches with some not-so-tasty ingredients (jellyfish, Tabasco sauce, expired mayonnaise, baking soda), building sand castles, and educational games about whales.

As usual, there are two levels of difficulty, Junior and Senior Detective, and there are plenty of hints and help scattered along the way for both levels, including calling the Hardy Boys for tips and clues. There are many educational elements in Deception Island, including informative webpages about nautical terms, wood identification, Morse code, various types of whales and more that are necessary to solve the mysteries. Graphics are gorgeous (including photo overlays during the biking scenes), character modeling is lifelike, music includes rousing sea chanteys and ominous strings reminiscent of Jaws, and voice acting is above average. Sound effects make you feel like youre really standing on a lonely, windswept shore with only the breaking waves and cries of the gulls to keep you company. And you get to interact with a killer whale as well! Keep up the good work, Her Interactive! (Nancys next mystery is Secret of Shadow Ranch.)

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars it just gets better., January 1, 2004

By	destiny morna "destiny21" (louisiana) - See all my reviews

This is the third Nancy Drew game that i have played (the others being treasure in the royal tower and the scarlett hand) and i have to say that its the best one yet.

Nancy is off to visit a friend, Katie Firestone. Upon arriving on Katie's boat, she discovers that someone has sabotaged the engine. There are no shortage of suspects on the island, including the owner of the whale museum, the cafe owner and the harbormaster.

This game is more complex than its earlier predecessors- nancy now has a cell phone and GPS device. She must navigate a bicycle around town and a kayak in the waters. The puzzles are more difficult, though there is always the option to call bess/george or the hardy boys for a quick solve.

Like the other games, you can play it on a junior or senior leve- depending on your gaming skills.

Deception island has a more adult feel but kids will enjoy it as well. Get this game if you are a fan of adventure and puzzle games.