Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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109 of 112 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An outstanding adventure through the old west!, August 1, 2004
I would like to begin my review by first stating that I find everyone's appalling comments for this game's new layout to be quite unjust. I thought the larger game screen to provide a more authentic experience. The new cell phone mode made calling and accessing information on the web extremely practical, as well as useful.
Secondly, the new tool mode was not nearly as hard to comprehend as many have expressed it to be. Really, if this game is marketed to anyone over the age of ten, I would have expected those over thirteen writing these reviews to have been able to grasp the simplicity of this feature.
Thirdly, I found the chores such as getting eggs, picking vegetables, and feeding the animals to be fun. I love being thrown out, though I will admit the tongue-lashing I get for my mistakes, whether purposeful or not, really leaves my spinning. In one instance, however, I even found myself being attacked by an extremely angry chicken. Who could not enjoy that?
The graphics in this game are extraordinary. I loved how real all of the rugs, petroglyphs, and so on looked. Her Interactive really is to be commended on this.
Throughout this game weaves a tale of mystery and romance. An outlaw by the name of Dirk Valentine left his treasure hidden somewhere for his love, and through following his clues he wrote for his love, I encountered much more than your average dust cloud...I encountered many dangerous things, that, if not treated right, could (and did) send me to my peril.
I would finally like to mention my favorite character in this series: Bob the horse. Bob and I went through a lot together, and I'm going to miss that horse. Live long and healthy, Bob!
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47 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Secret of Shadow Ranch, October 29, 2004
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
This was definitely a great addition to the Nancy Drew computer games. They changed the inventory window and it takes a little time to get used to it. Yes, it is frustrating at first but by the end, I decided it was a great idea.
In this mystery, Nancy goes to a ranch (I guess you probably figured that out from the title :) We do not get see Bess and George because their plane was delayed but we still get to call them and the Hardy boys to get hints.
The suspects in this game are Shorty- the cook; Tex- the head wrangler; Dave- the cowboy; and Mary Yazzi- an antique seller.
Nancy rides a horse in the game, which is neat. Some of the chores Nancy does at the Ranch are a little tedious and repetitive but they did seem to get easier as they go.
In the end, I really liked this mystery and I am ready to start the next one that comes out.
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not the best Nancy Drew game..., July 24, 2004
First of all, I think that the Nancy Drew games are wonderful. The developers have done a great job in the creation of these software programs. I have met fans of these games that are young girls, elderly adults, and even urban, teenage guys. With their affordable prices, you can't go wrong with a Nancy Drew software game.
That said, this is one of my least favorite games in the series. It starts out well - Nancy takes a trip out west to a working ranch where there are phantom horses, treasure lore, historical romance, and quirky characters. The visuals are lovely and the music is fun. But, the enjoyment of solving the mystery quickly gets lost in the tedious tasks that make up most of the gameplay. There are a lot of puzzles and clicking activities that are required to complete the game. Normally, puzzles add interest and intrigue to the gameplay process. In this case, however, the sheer number of mundane tasks and procedures make the game frustrating and, often times, boring. For example, doing a detailed pixel search to find ten arrowheads scattered around the game...trying to bake a cake ten times because much of it is trial and error...playing the same gameboard on an arcade game fifteen or twenty times to receive a necessary prize, etc. Many of these tasks are built into the storyline, such as the daily chores of picking vegetables and gathering eggs. Although these activities help give the game an authentic "ranch experience", they come at a sacrifice of the actual mystery-solving. I wish that the developers had spent more time creating a multi-dimensional sleuthing experience, and less time coming up with random puzzles and trivial activities. In fact, it feels like many of these activites were added just to extend the playing time and drag out the gameplay. This is certainly a case where quantity is not better than quality.
The developers also used a new visual format to create a larger action screen. The tools and objects that Nancy uses are now in pop-up menus that are activated at the bottom of the screen. The dialogue box also pops up during conversation and then disappears. This design makes sense in theory, but adds to the frustration during gameplay because of the additional pointing and clicking that is required. At times, it was also awkward to maneuver through the scenes - you might see an item of interest but have to turn around or back up before you could actually click on it.
That said, I am not sorry that I bought the game. If you are a fan of the Nancy Drew games, or if you are interested in horses, ranching, etc, then you will probably want to buy this game. However, if you have not played a Nancy Drew game before, I would advise that you pick a different game to start in the series, such as Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake, Treasure in the Royal Tower, or Message in the Haunted Mansion. In my opinion, those games are more enjoyable for their pure sleuthing fun. If you like the Nancy Drew games but would also enjoy a more adult-oriented mystery game, then try the Law and Order software series.
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