I'm about to start a Nancy Drew game (Message in a Haunted Mansion), and I was wondering what the differences were between the Junior and Senior Detective difficulty settings. Senior is supposed to be harder, so I'll pick that, but I was curious about what the exact differences were between each setting. Neither the manual or tutorial say. Puzzles with extra steps for a solution? Or simply more puzzles? Or something else?

Oooh, you're playing a Nancy game? I think that's great. I love Nancy games, particularly the older ones.

To the best of my knowledge, Junior and Senior Detective both have the same puzzles, but the solutions are more difficult at Senior Level.

When Nancy games first came out, there were three levels:Junior, Senior and Master Detective. These were subsequently changed to Junior and Senior Detective only. I understand they've been changed again to Amateur Sleuth and Master Sleuth.

I haven't played game #20 or #24 through #26, but I believe the differences between Junior and Senior/Amateur and Master still reside in the difficulty levels of the puzzles.

I hope you enjoy Message in a Haunted Mansion!

Edit: I completely forgot to mention something. Junior Detective includes a task list that helps you know what to do, and Senior does not.

However, I've just discovered that  Amateur Sleuth, which first appears in the latest game (#26, Tomb of the Lost Queen) provides hints and a detailed checklist, while Master provides no hints and a basic checklist. The differences in puzzle difficulty remain. I got the info from this Her Interactive Community Blog. 

 I have to confess that I've played every single Nancy  Drew game except for the last one!  I never include them in a top list because they really are very formulaic & very contrived! But, I do love them - playing a Nancy Drew game is for me sitting down with a cup of tea & being in familiar comfort zone!

I've played every single game on Senior except for the last few where I've conceded to Junior - I liked the task list & also the simplified versions of the puzzles are challenging enough!

Originally Posted By loobiloo (14 JUN 2012 1:38pm)

But, I do love them - playing a Nancy Drew game is for me sitting down with a cup of tea & being in familiar comfort zone!

I feel exactly the same way, loobiloo.

Originally Posted By karla (13 JUN 2012 10:28pm)

Oooh, you're playing a Nancy game? I think that's great. I love Nancy games, particularly the older ones.

 

To the best of my knowledge, Junior and Senior Detective both have the same puzzles, but the solutions are more difficult at Senior Level.

 

When Nancy games first came out, there were three levels:Junior, Senior and Master Detective. These were subsequently changed to Junior and Senior Detective only. I understand they've been changed again to Amateur Sleuth and Master Sleuth.

 

I haven't played game #20 or #24 through #26, but I believe the differences between Junior and Senior/Amateur and Master still reside in the difficulty levels of the puzzles.

   

I hope you enjoy Message in a Haunted Mansion!

 

Edit: I completely forgot to mention something. Junior Detective includes a task list that helps you know what to do, and Senior does not.

 

However, I've just discovered that  Amateur Sleuth, which first appears in the latest game (#26, Tomb of the Lost Queen) provides hints and a detailed checklist, while Master provides no hints and a basic checklist. The differences in puzzle difficulty remain. I got the info from this Her Interactive Community Blog. 

 

Thanks for the info, Karla! And I'm sure I'll enjoy it -- it's my favorite adventure game setting, the big old spooky house filled with puzzles.