What
I most admired about Nancy Drew after reading The
Whispering Statue, my first foray into the teen sleuth’s
escapades, was that for a young woman, she was especially crafty and
resourceful. She donned disguises, devised clever ruses, engineered
daring escapes from villains, and assembled clues with ease. These
characteristics were what made many of her early PC adventures so
entertaining, for who does not enjoy an opportunity to spy on strangers,
hack into a computer, or explore a hidden passageway? Many fans, myself
included, felt that this key element of the series, and of Nancy herself,
was absent from recent installments in Her Interactive’s wildly
successful and award-winning series, in which the young detective
was relegated primarily to tedious chores and errands. Luckily, this
is another mystery that has been solved, for Shadow at the Water’s
Edge marks a welcome return to the core of what initially made
this series so popular.

In
this latest installment, Nancy travels with her loyal companions Bess
and George to Japan, where she is staying at the Ryokan Hiei, a traditional
Japanese inn, teaching ESL
during the day and, so she hopes, relaxing and exploring at night.
But this particular establishment is, of course, haunted, and soon
Nancy is the only guest who has not been scared away. It’s up
to you to figure out who is behind the spectral sabotage and bring
him or her to justice. As good as the storyline is, it does play on
a theme that many other entries in the series have already recycled:
a haunted place, a suspicious death, a hidden room, etc. This game
isn’t so much scary as creepy; it is unnerving to walk around
the ryokan at night, when the game takes place. There are a few encounters
that should freak you out, but a lot of elements go unexplained, and
we have seen this kind of plot before, in a different location and
with different characters. There’s nothing wrong with creating
a scary mystery, but the general plot is getting a little tired at
this point.

What
makes this game such a treat, and what shines through its execution,
is that it is the product of impeccable planning and plotting. Unlike
some previous installments, especially this summer’s Trail
of the Twister, it is obvious that this title was very carefully
crafted. It is longer than most games, with more tasks to accomplish
and plot lines to unravel, and every detail and every clue play a
role in the game. Each book you read, each item you pick up, each
conversation you overhear – it all plays into the mystery, so
you get the feeling that you are working hard to solve something that
is actually worthy of your time and your intelligence. As usual, Nancy
does a few favors for some of the characters, although this time I
did not find myself wishing she were not so much of a pushover. These
favors are balanced with plenty of actual detective work – snooping,
decoding messages, prying information out of comical informants over
the phone. And all of the hallmarks of the series are present: witty,
engaging characters with realistic expressions and movements; an interesting
script; and great educational value. The scenery is beautiful, and
I wish that there had been more of it to explore. Kevin Manthei’s
music, which has never been anything but perfect, is, if possible,
even better than usual. It is just the right combination of cultural
and creepy.

Thankfully,
most of the puzzles are, finally, connected to the mystery and not
just busy work or extraneous tasks. The difficulty range varies. We
have to remember that the series targets an audience ages ten and
older, so some of the arcade games and food preparation activities
that so frequently appear in the games, while tiring to me and probably
many other adults, are engaging for kids. There were also some moments
where it was difficult to figure out what to do next, and I got stuck
at one point waiting for the game to trigger something that I was
powerless to affect. And, if we’re going to nitpick, there were
some pronunciation discrepancies and lots of punctuation mistakes
in the dialogue. Not that it’s a big deal, but if Her Interactive
is really working to perfect their formula, as I expect they are,
these are things to keep in mind.

The
biggest caveat I have for this game is that it features Sudoku and
nonograms. While the nonograms are not, thankfully, like the notorious
one from the final act of The
Mystery of the Mummy, they are certainly not for people like
me who hate number puzzles and still use their fingers to count things.
If you love numbers, you’ll sink your teeth right in. If not,
have somebody help you out, or just get a walkthrough. They are not
for everyone, but they should not ruin your gaming experience.

With twenty-three games
and counting, it is only natural that there should be a few duds along
the way as Her Interactive experiments with its tried and true formula.
This latest release, however, is promising. It shows a lot of effort,
especially with thoughtful puzzles instead of chores, but maintains
the elements that have made its most successful predecessors so praiseworthy.
Hopefully, this is the dawn of a new era in River Heights –
or wherever Nancy Drew’s travels take her next!

To sum it up, as Nancy’s
new Japanese friends may have written, in a Haiku:

Old is new again
No more chores – solid sleuthing
Future looking good

System Requirements
(PC):

• Windows® XP/Vista/7
• 1 GHz or greater Pentium
  or equivalent class CPU
• 256 MB of RAM
• 1 GB or more of Hard
  Drive space
• 32 MB DirectX 9.0 compatible
  video card
• 16 bit DirectX compatible
  sound card
• 24X CD-ROM drive, mouse,
  and speakers

System Requirements
(Mac):

• Mac OS X 10.5.8 Leopard/10.6.4
  Snow Leopard
• Intel GMA 950 Processor
• 512MB RAM
• 1.1GB hard drive space
• ATI X1600/Nvidia 7300
  video card
• CD-ROM drive