Home > Consumer Reviews > Nancy Drew: Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake

This is the first of the ND series that I've played without having to look up cheats a hundred times. Unlike the previous adventures, there were several places (not just one) where Nancy was caught in a "second chance" situation - I think that makes it more exciting. I played the Senior Detective and only got really stuck twice - otherwise the hints were pretty helpful. This probably isn't the game for the very experienced gamer, but if you have played and enjoyed any previous ND games, you will not be disappointed here. It's low on violence and high on creative thinking. I wish there were more female oriented adventure games like this series. Have fun with it!

The seventh in the series, these games are relatively inexpensive yet provide hours of gameplay. In them, Nancy Drew, the college-aged female detective, explores mysteries and finds solutions to various puzzles.

You can see the various improvements in this latest entry. The graphics are much smoother, and as you turn around in a given area the 'snapshot' quality is more of a flow. It's still not a fully immersive environment - in essence you go "to" a spot and then can turn left or right through set images of the room. You can point to a "hot spot" in the room to approach an item or examine it. Still, in a way this makes it easier for younger detectives to know what to do. If you can't click on something, it's not important.

There's no violence or blood, although I do have to comment that the ghost dogs are rather scary! I have had younger teenage girls refuse to play some of the games I've lent them because they were too scary after a few hours. This one might fall into that category if you have a skittish nature. The dogs don't actually attack you, but their jumping on the doors, howling and rattling the house can be quite frightning.

The game uses very logical puzzles that actually teach you things. You want to test water from a well, but first you have to learn the real technique for priming a pump and do it. You need to use a motorboat, but the pistons aren't in the proper cycle positions. Anyone who uses a boat would see this by looking at the engine, and they helpfully include a diagram to show you (i.e. Nancy) how to fix this before the engine will work. Notes at the ranger station warn you about Hantavirus, a real danger if you're cleaning areas where mice live.

There are other puzzles - identifying birds, finding planks to get over rotten floorboards and so on - that fit in as well. In general the game does an admirable job of keeping the game very realistic-feeling, like you're really at this Pennsylvanian lake, amongst the locals there, exploring their world.

On the downside, much of the game involves pony-trail sorts of handoffs. You know you need a spark plug. You might think it would be lying around nearby or that one would be in the house. But instead, searching all over creation finds none. Instead, you have to go to sleep, wake up at night, chat with someone who it so happens has one, go back to sleep again, and then in the morning use it. It can get extremely frustrating when at many times in the game you know what you *need* but just have to figure out how the game designers think you should *get* it.

Still, many times this means that your gameplay time is stretched out as you wander around, explore, chat with people, and enjoy the world. It's not a game for people who want to race through to the end to have 'beaten it'. If you poke at a walkthrough site, you can probably do so in an hour or two. Instead, it's a game that, for a relatively low price, lets you wander through a well realized world, exercise those "little grey cells" in your brain, and really become knowledgeable about a number of intersting subjects. Give yourself time to have fun with this one!

This game was probably one of the scarier Nancy Drew games. The graphics are still amazing and the features are new and improved! In this game, Nancy gets to have a PDA (personal digital assistant) that she takes around with her. It's a phone book and notebook. Nancy jotts down important notes and such in it and this time, you don't have to scroll ALL THE WAY DOWN to look at the new stuff she wrote (unlike the previous Nancy Drew game). It's really scary in the beginning and in other sections too. You have to snoop around at night and go to the graveyard! I'd say it is pretty freaky. But it's loads of fun. I only got stuck really bad ONCE during the entire game. That doesn't mean it's super easy but it just means that it's not extremely hard to the point where you can't figure it out yourself. This one was one of the better Nancy Drew games!

I was an avid reader of Nancy Drew mysteries as a girl during the 50s and now as an old girl I get to revisit Nancy in another form. I enjoyed the game, was happy not to have to deal with an alarm clock this time. Just go up the stairs in the cabin a few clicks and you have the option to make it AM or PM. I got hopelessly lost in the forest in the beginning and the night sounds were spookily effective. I will admit I did resort to an outside tip after I put the sparkplugs in the wrong way in the outboard motor. Fatal error! It made me laugh, though. Love those second chances. This is the fourth Nancy Drew game I've played and I don't plan on stopping. The games are well put together and not just for kids. I find the puzzles to be challenging and the graphics and audio very well done. Keep 'em coming herinteractive.

What a supurb game....It is so much fun to be Nancy and spend your day as Nancy.....I feel like I am at the lake...I thought the dogs were "scary" at first,,,,, because you feel like you are there in the cabin. But they are pretty cool after the initial game play with them.....You can go outside safely.....Its a great game, I highly recommend it for any kids over about age 8...