Nancy Drew: Trail of the Twister (Mac)

My 11 year old seemed to like the game. However, as an adult Nancy Drew fan, I found it boring. There are LOTS and LOTS of tedious chores to do, many of which have nothing to do with sloving the mystery. If you like spooky, edge of your seat, this is not going to provide that. I found the characters to be hokey and annoying. It was hard for my 11 yr. old to drive the car in this game. However, she solved many of the puzzles without cheats. One thing I love about HerInteractive is the great opportunity to learn something new in their games. You do learn about weather patterns, cloud formations and the like. Not my favorite by far but lots to do in this game if you like puzzles. VERY excited for the next game coming out! Looks very spooky and it takes place in Japan!

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This is a very well developed mystery adventure. The creators put a lot of thought into this game, and it shows.

You are very quickly thrown into the mystery, which you must unravel like an onion. Unlike other Nancy Drew mysteries, in this one, all of the loose ends are woven together to form a delightful tapestry. It was very rewarding to see how components within the game fit together. Spoiler: For example, at one point, you fix a video camera so that a character can film a tornado destroying a farm. The character accuses you on not fixing it -- and later, you can see your film playing on the news under someone else's byline, leading you to question the suspect on his deception.

There are many opportunities to snoop in this game. You can overhear conversations while working in the fields and exploring rooms-- and stumble upon suspects doing things when they don't think you are watching them.

The character development is also quite good. You get to know each character, his/her background, and individual personalities. While some reviewers complain about how nasty suspects are to Nancy, in truth, each has something to hide. Their stress, covering up their private machinations, leads them to act in a curt manner. I think their rudeness helps Nancy keep a professional distance and challenge them on their lies, as needed. Nancy is there to do a job, not be their friend.

The characters who are not really suspects and who serve as friends and helpers, like the Hardy brothers, Pa, and Krolmeister, are very kind to her.

It would not have been appropriate for Nancy be to be chummy with the suspects -- and after she catches them in their various deceptions, they apologize and try to make nice to her - except for the actual culprit, whom she catches in the end.

Her Interactive has also incorporated another charming aspect, which contributes to the realism of the story -- the characters will actually talk to you when they are driving with you, allowing you to get to know them better and learn more about their personalities. It is amusing, however that Nancy's passengers don't seem to notice her reckless driving. They calmly chat away calmly while she drives other cars off the road and gets into near fatal accidents.

While the characters do give you chores to do, each one is more or less a puzzle, which helps you solve the mystery. If you find a particular puzzle too onerous, you can locate any number of walkthroughs online to find a solution and move on. The chores are not busy work used to draw out the game. Nancy is working as a gofer and must do odd jobs to maintain her cover. Each chore leads to a new clue, which helps her solve the mystery and eliminate suspects.

There are many places to explore in this game. Granted, there are no secret passages, but there is a storm shelter. There are also many opportunities to overhear private conversations and snoop through the suspects' personal belongings and uncover clues. You can even drive around in the wide open spaces -- and enjoy the gorgeous scenery.

The creators have also added a number of charming details, which make the game fun. For example, Nancy can sweeten up her suspects by giving them chocolates. She can also gorge on candy until she passes out. Even the candy bars are cleverly designed and given sweet names. The mice you catch will reward you with an Easter egg after you relocate them and feed them cheese. You can also see a charming Jackalope game/exhibit, and humanely move a litter of prarie dogs to a new location with a vacuum.

While I thought this came was very well done, I would have liked to have been able to explore the theatre house and seen Pa perform. Developing the game a little further in these areas would have made this installment quite extraordinary.

The landrush game is thoroughly enjoyable as is the driving. You can drive three vehicles in this game -- a weather truck, pick up truck, and car. It's very relaxing to drive around and explore just for recreation or down time. It's also somewhat fun to create pile ups. Amusingly, the characters who join you on road trips, never react when you hit other cars on the road. Both the driving and land rush games are those you will probably play over and over, when you need a moment's relaxation/diversion or to clear your thoughts - long after you have finished the game.

I did agree with others that the game ended abruptly, which leaves the gamer feeling a bit cheated. The culprit crashes and while he/she sits there, you just walk through a shelter door, and then the game ends. The ending should have been allowed to unfold a little more gradually. For example, it might have been clever if Nancy could have chased the culprit through the theatre during Pa's recital and then followed the culprit on the road. Once she caught the culprit, Pa might have been shown up to help her escort the culprit to the authorities. Instead, there is a crash, Nancy walks through a door, and then the screen turns black, and it's game over. A bit dissatisfying.

The graphics were outstanding.

Overall, this was a fabulous game.

Not to nitpick, but I didn't enjoy the blooper reel this time. In previous games, the bloopers have been quite amusing, but this time, they seemed obvious and forced, and I didn't even crack a smile -- like a giant mouse eating corn, a tire hitting Nancy, Pa dancing like a showgirl and cracking his back, among other things. They could have put a little more thought/creativity into the bloopers so that the gamer could be left the laughing -- especially after such an abrupt. unsatisfying ending.

Once again, Her Interactive plays homage to the global internationalists. This time, the ubiquitous Krolmeister who hires Nancy, assumes the role of a global industrialist/monopolist, like a modern day Rockefeller. Even though Nancy Drew games are charming, there is always an underlying Illuminati angle to them -- like Secret Societies or references to Big Oil, and Her Interactive seems to paint them as innocuous and intriguing, rather than the sinister forces which have brought tremendous darkness, and evil into the world. Oh yes, Big Oil is just a big Teddy Bear who gives Nancy cute little assignments which keep her busy and amused. *Spare me!* The fact that Her Interactive pays homage to the forces behind global corruption is mildly disturbing, especially since Nancy Drew is portrayed as a moral crusader. A little social programming/brain washing, perhaps?

At one point, Nancy Drew even was getting a little raunchy, but thank goodness Her Interactive cleaned up its act after parents protested. Remember being able to transform from Nancy Drew into a Hardy Boy and then flirt with girls (in CRE?) and ask them if they party while they bare midriffs and act flattered? Just gross.

There is a dark element in Her Interactive's Nancy Drew games that diligent parents may wish to shield their young, impressionable children from. Overall, this was an excellent game, Illuminati references notwithstanding.

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I thought this was a great game, It had lots of puzzles and tasks and such, some of the puzzles were quite difficault I thought but that could just be me. I also thought it was kinda short I finished it in a day and a half- but dont get me wrong it was a VERY fun game I would recommend you buy it. :)

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