I admire Her Interactive, the company who licensed the Nancy Drew character
for a series of computer games. How could you not root for a company whose slogan
is “For girls who aren’t afraid of a mouse”?

I’m an admitted
Nancy Drew fan. I grew up reading my sister’s Nancy Drew books (so much more fun
than those dry Hardy Boys stories). I’m also a fan of the 30s film series featuring
the plucky teen detective. However, I was pretty disappointed with Her Interactive’s
first Nancy’s outing, Secrets Can Kill.

Therefore, I’m pleased as
punch to report that their new game, Nancy Drew: Stay Tuned for Danger, is
a real treat. It’s a huge improvement over the first game in almost every single
area.

Like Secrets Can Kill, STFD is an accessible, modest mystery
game targeted to girls. But, as I’ve said countless times, there’s nothing wrong
with “modest” if it’s well done.

Which this game certainly is.
In the first game, the characters seemed sterile and immobile, as if they were
merely puppets marking time waiting for Nancy to come back and talk to them. In
STFD, I got a real sense of characters moving around, having their own
lives that progressed during the story. Another difference is that this time around
the characters are attractive 3D models instead of 2D drawings. The voice acting
isn’t half-bad either, with one very notable exception of a character who’s heard
but never seen.

The story in the first game felt flat and mechanical to
me, and the setting (a Florida high school) didn’t spark my interest. The story
in STFD is immediately interesting, however. Death threats on the set of
a hit soap opera! Great setting, entertaining setup. In this game, I actually
looked forward to uncovering each new clue.

The interface in the first game
was clunky in a couple of areas, and this problem has also been eliminated. Navigation
is much smoother, and point-and-click responsiveness in menus (an annoying problem
the first time around) is excellent.

The artwork in the first game was excellent.
In STFD, it’s absolutely superb. Using a rich palette of colors, the artists
have created a beautifully detailed world. The game provided environments so rich
and pleasing it was fun to move through them slowly, to enjoy all of the available
eye candy, whether or not it paid off in the actual story or not.

The gameplay
in STFD is significantly more challenging and involved than in the first
game. This is not a complaint. The developers took a risk in making the puzzles
in this game more chewy than in the first game, and the risk pays off. While not
too hard for their target market, the game’s level of difficulty made the game
a more compelling and fun experience.

The most important thing that STFD
gets right, however, is atmosphere. All of the elements–story, art, music,
dialog, puzzles–work together to create a charmingly mysterious environment.
As I worked through this highly enjoyable game (generally with a stupid grin on
my face that I reserve for really fun games), I kept muttering to myself, “This
is it! This is the Nancy Drew experience I was hoping to have the first time around!”

My main criticism of the game is in the third act of the story. I wish
Nancy could have a more active role in settling the mystery. The red herrings
are so plentiful, and the identity of the guilty party is revealed so abruptly,
it left me wishing that Nancy would have had some time to evaluate all of the
info she had gathered and had different choices on how to proceed with that knowledge.
Oh, well, something for the third game!

Also, there is a timed puzzle at
the end of the game that I really had trouble with.

However. Nancy Drew:
Stay Tuned for Danger is a huge leap forward for Her Interactive. I can’t
wait for the third game in this very promising series, and I congratulate everyone
at Her Interactive for challenging themselves to make this second Nancy outing
so much fun.

Final Grade: B

System Requirements:

Windows 95/98
166 MHz Pentium processor
16 MB RAM
42 MB available
hard disk space
16-bit color graphics video card
8x CD-ROM drive
16-bit
Windows-compatible stereo sound card
Mouse and speakers