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Not the best at all

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 9 / 13
Date: July 26, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I was really excited about this game when I heard it was going to be set in the older days. Soon after playing it I got really annoyed by it. The music was not like it is with the other ones. There were no "scary" things at all. Driving the car doing little things got annoying. Its not worth your money. The game is also extremely short. I beat it in less than a day in Senior detective. I dont know what else to say except to maybe buy any other one except for Secrets can kill.

Fun For All Ages!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: December 03, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Secret Of the Old Clock in the Nancy Drew series is fun for all ages. I'm 62 and this is my fifth Nancy Drew game. Some of the Nancy Drew games are so difficult as to be frustrating. Not so with Secret Of the Old Clock, the puzzles are challenging but not so much so that one becomes so frustrated they need to look for a walkthrough.

I could actually solve most of the puzzles without a walkthrough, but I did go to a hint site for one puzzle... not bad for me!

I don't think it necessary to go into the story and characters because the reviews before mine have covered that extremely well. But I do want to encourage people to play this game because it is a excellent one. I read a poor review for this product on another site and almost didn't purchase it. So let me assure you, this is an excellent game. The graphics are fantastic and none of my character faces were blurry.

What I liked best was being able to drive a car around the town. It was so much fun. Often when I play these Nancy Drew games I get stuck in spots and can't figure out what to do next. In this game there is constantly something to do and lots of puzzles to solve and because they are not terribly complicated like the puzzles in The Curse of Blackmoor Castle, you feel great when you are able to solve them yourself without help. I never did finish The Curse of Blackmoor, I felt it was too complicated with all the chemicals, gods, and formulas.

I loved the Secret Of the Old Clock characters, I love the sense of humor that is always present in these games. I don't mind at all that some of the puzzles don't fit into the story exactly... they're fun and that is all I care about. I loved the miniature golf game and I think that after a few tries things sort of go your way and I'm convinced that might have been worked into the program that after so many tries it gets easier. I know I'll return often to replay the miniature golf and try to better my score. I played it four times before playing under par for my prize.

Whether or not you are a grandmother like me, a young person or middle aged, you will enjoy this game.

I was not disappointed.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 12
Date: July 13, 2006
Author: Amazon User

As always, the Nancy Drew games do not disappoint. Personally, I quite enjoyed driving around delivering telegrams, if for no other reason than to keep my cash flow going, and to tour the rest of the town. I must admit, I was a bit confused as to why HerInteractive wouldn't have incorporated the Courthouse into the game for some purpose, but hey, it's nice to see they have a penchant for detail. After all, what town doesn't have a Courthouse? heh.

Indeed, this game could have been designed to be twice as enduring (and there were several ways this could have been accomplished), but to be honest, enduring does not equate with endearing. Every ND game has satisfied me on many levels, even if a few levels were left wanting.

I also enjoyed going back in time to 1930, albeit there were a few inconsistencies regarding what took place when, i.e., the turntable revolving the wrong way, et al. ...however, a good detective will notice these faux pas.

Like I say, there's rarely any disappointment when it comes to the Nancy Drew games. One can only hope they continue to create these games indefintely. My only gripe is that they come out with only two games a year. My wish would be for four or five. :)

Nancy Drew returns in keen retro style on her twelfth adventure

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: October 27, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Nancy Drew turns 75 this year, and she's still got her youthful sense of sleuthing... in fact, she's as keen as when she first came out in 1930. In honour of Nancy's 75th birthday, Her Interactive has set Nancy's newest mystery "Secret of the Old Clock" in 1930s America before the start of the depression. Nancy drives a sporty blue roadster, listens to jazz records, and talks nervously of the possible Depression, while using expressions such as "keen," "horsefeathers" and "the bee's knees." Nancy's first mystery (based on her first two books Secret of the Old Clock and Mystery at Lilac Inn) finds her investigating mysterious happenings at the Lilac Inn. The inn is run by seventeen-year-old orphaned Emily, whose mother died recently, and her guardian Jane Willoughby, but Emily has asked Nancy to come help her. It turns out that she's been hearing things, and various "accidents" have occurred. The plot quickly thickens, leaving Nancy to puzzle out an eccentric millionaire and a forged will that has high stakes for all involved: Jim Archer, banker on the edge of ruin, Richard Topham, "clairvoyant" who lives in the deceased millionaire's house, Emily and her guardian.

As with previous titles, a good deal of puzzle solving is chore related, of the "I scratch your back, you scratch mine" mentality. This means that Nancy must complete chores for other characters before she can receive the necessary information (or inventory) to proceed. Some of these are easier than others: arranging pies, catching a 19-inch largemouth bass, finding toys for a children's orphanage, picking up raffle tickets, and sewing a dress (fiendishly hard, and I'm a cross-stitcher!).

This game sees the addition of two new features, both of which I found unnecessarily frustrating: Nancy's blue roadster, which must be filled up with gas and keeping an eye out for flat tires, and money, which Nancy must spend to solve puzzles (miniature golf, purchasing items, etc.). Nancy's initial $3.50 flies by as you constantly refill your gas tank and spend money to purchase items, and the only way to get more money is by delivering telegrams. This is problematic for two reasons: one, your customers don't tip (although there are some very funny characters and in-jokes), and two, you spend more money in gas delivering them than you earn.

That's not to say that "Secret of the Old Clock doesn't have any redeeming features. Clearly, a great deal of historical research went into the creation of the game, from the 1930s slang to the black-and-white photos that represent Titusville's shops, to the Art Deco motifs in the Lilac Inn and the bank. There seems to be much less interaction with characters: you hardly ever see Emily, chat once or twice with Jane and Topham and Jim Archer. The game seemed shorter (and easier) than other titles in the series, but was a welcome departure in terms of style and feel. A special note here for the game's wonderful atmospheric music: a variety of authentic big band swing with muted horns, mixed with "creepy" music at key points, really brings the player into the 1930s. One gripe: the character sprites seemed very low-resolution and blurry, and it wasn't just my monitor. A shame, since so much care was taken on backgrounds and animations.

Overall, this is a welcome addition to the Nancy Drew series and another fine accomplishment for Her Interactive, one of the most innovative and dedicated gaming companies around. This will be a hit with Nancy Drew fans, although the addition of driving Nancy's roadster makes navigation extra-difficult for younger players, especially later in the game. This keen game is the bee's knees!

Not Her Interactive's Best

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: November 11, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Oh, I wanted to like this game. I've played them all. I was so excited to find out that Her Interactive was going to be able to make a game based on the first 4 yellow-jackets (original books) in the Nancy Drew series.

I loved Nancy's car - until I realized I was going to be subjected to completely pointless errands in order to "make money". I hate repetitive, mind-numbing tasks. And this game had it in spades, unfortunately. It was beyond ridiculous.

I enjoyed some of the puzzles/challenges - but they weren't worked into the plot terribly well.

Finally, it was just too short.

good but not as good

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: September 25, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I have played many nancy drew games and it usually takes me a few days 2 beat them but this one was incredibly short (it was tons of fun though)So if you love the nancy drew games like me i suggest you get this but if you are really into long lasting games lets just say get "The Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake"which is longer.Overall this is a very fun game just very easy:)My personal favorite part was the mini golfing!

Normally I LOVE Nancy Drew, but...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: July 22, 2006
Author: Amazon User

My sister and I love the nancy drew mysteries that come out on CD-ROM and we are constantly checking to see when the new one is out. We've done all the mysteries, and we usually do the junior sleuth because its easier. But The Secret of the Old Clock was TOO easy! We sloved the case in a couple of hours and were bored wanting to know if they had developed the next one yet. I agree with the last reviewer that is a little boring with driving the car, and my sister and I kept doing the deliveries because it never said that you could just stop! So we made like 20$ and finally got sick of it and went back to the lilac inn and they didnt say anything else about it! Well if you decide to get it you should definitel play the senior sleuth if you want a challenge, because on the junior one my sister and i definitely didnt get one at all.

Fun but not quite Fabulous

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: April 02, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The twelfth of the Nancy Drew Mystery Series. Things are graded A-F, just like school.

The Crime: C

It's 1930, and Nancy stops by the home of Emily Crandall to check on her. The girl has recently lost her mother, and now has said she is seeing things. She asks Nancy to put her mother's jewels in a safe, but before Nancy can do so, an explosion occurrs! The jewelry is stolen and Nancy Drew begins her first case.

Also on the docket is finding out what happened to Josiah Crowley, a local eccentric who had promised to leave money to Emily. The Depression is starting and the young girl can use all the help she can get!

Suspects include Emily's guardian Jane W., kind banker Mr. Archer, and "psychic" Richard Topham (who also happens to be Josiah's sole heir).

My thought on this was that the crime was trying too hard. It left me feeling indifferent.

Puzzles: B

The look and feel of the puzzles was great. My favorite one was the number/symbol game in the carriage house. I agonized over it, but I loved it. Ultimately, though, there didn't seem to be a lot of puzzles in this game at all. Not as many as previous games.

Gameplay: B

This game is more a fetch-and-carry than a mystery. The mystery tends to get lost while Nancy spends most of her time running errands for people around town. Everybody has a line like, "Oh, I would love to do that for you, Nancy, but first I have to..." and of course Nancy volunteers. This happens over and over. Even Nancy comments to Bess, "You wouldn't believe what I had to go through..."

You drive Nancy's roadster, which I liked, deliver telegrams for extra money (which I liked, but got tedious after a while), explore hidden passages, fish the local waterhole, and play mini-golf.

One thing I didn't like was that the mini-golf was disconnected from the game. In CUR, Jane's games had to be won at some point in order to get something. In CLK, the mini-golf is obviously there only an extra.

HI did a good time integrating the time period and the Great Depression into the game without hitting us over the head with it. I really liked how you could experience the town and the townspeople, even though you could only actually enter a few locations (they used black-and-white period pictures to show you the rest).

There are no spooky moments, no suspense, and no thrills and chills here at all. The closest you come is when Nancy scares herself in the hidden passage.

This is the shortest Nancy Drew game ever made, with the exception of SCK. I finished in 7 hours, and that is unlike me. I was disappointed; I expect more bang for my $20.

Time Changes: None. This all takes place in a single day.

Voice Acting: B

The voices all kind of rolled off me. They were wonderfully done, but they were missing some "oomph." Emily seems sad and delicate, Jane is blowsy, Richard is a slick public speaker-type, and Mr. Archer is a nice guy.

Carson Drew was excellent and is the reason for the "B". He's perfect: wise, patient, kind, loving. Nancy's relationship with him is spelled out in the first phone call - they love each other, and he thinks she's a smart cookie. Perfect.

The people who stood out to me were the bit players - Mrs. Jakowski, good-time-girl and local phone operator, and Mrs. O'Shea, patroness of the orphanage.

Music: B

Period, and very nice, but again, I was sort of indifferent. I did find myself nodding my head to the jazzy ragtime that plays in The Lilac Inn's entrance hall.

Graphics/Video: A

The best yet, of course. One gripe I do have is why are all the slim girls so frightening? Jane in CUR and Emily in this game are scarily thin. If you look at Emily's feet as she sits in the window seat, you can tell that the size of her legs and feet is so small as to be almost impossible. Why can't HI do a skinny girl without her being out of proportion?

Technical: A

Perfectly perfect.

Overall, I think this one is neat and entertaining, a great way to pass a few hours, but it was lacking The Wow Factor for me. I just wasn't dazzled by what I saw like I have been in the past.

If you love Nancy Drew, this one's for you. Play it and have a good time. Don't be surprised if it falls a little short, though.

Pretty Good

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 9
Date: November 29, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is a good game, but it is not one of my favorites in the Nancy Drew series. In my opinion, it was way to easy. I completely solved the game in a couple of hours. I didnt like the ending very much though, it wasnt enough of a challenge. But overall, it was a pretty good game.

THINK, THINK,THINK,

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 12
Date: January 03, 2006
Author: Amazon User

THIS NANCY DREW WAS FUN, THERE WERE TONS OF PUZZLES THAT REALY MADE ME THINK.MY FAVORITE PART WAS WHEN WE FIGURED OUT THE MIRORS AND IT MADE NEAT THINGS HAPPEN. I FOUND THIS GAME TO BE NOT AS DIFFICULT AS SOME OF THE OTHER NANCY DREW GAMES, BUT IT MADE ME THINK BECAUSE IT HAD LOTS OF PUZZLES.

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