User Reviews (1 - 11 of 84)

Show these reviews first:

Highest Rated
Lowest Rated Newest
Oldest Most Helpful
Least Helpful

An outstanding adventure through the old west!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 106 / 110
Date: August 01, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I would like to begin my review by first stating that I find everyone's appalling comments for this game's new layout to be quite unjust. I thought the larger game screen to provide a more authentic experience. The new cell phone mode made calling and accessing information on the web extremely practical, as well as useful.
Secondly, the new tool mode was not nearly as hard to comprehend as many have expressed it to be. Really, if this game is marketed to anyone over the age of ten, I would have expected those over thirteen writing these reviews to have been able to grasp the simplicity of this feature.
Thirdly, I found the chores such as getting eggs, picking vegetables, and feeding the animals to be fun. I love being thrown out, though I will admit the tongue-lashing I get for my mistakes, whether purposeful or not, really leaves my spinning. In one instance, however, I even found myself being attacked by an extremely angry chicken. Who could not enjoy that?
The graphics in this game are extraordinary. I loved how real all of the rugs, petroglyphs, and so on looked. Her Interactive really is to be commended on this.
Throughout this game weaves a tale of mystery and romance. An outlaw by the name of Dirk Valentine left his treasure hidden somewhere for his love, and through following his clues he wrote for his love, I encountered much more than your average dust cloud...I encountered many dangerous things, that, if not treated right, could (and did) send me to my peril.
I would finally like to mention my favorite character in this series: Bob the horse. Bob and I went through a lot together, and I'm going to miss that horse. Live long and healthy, Bob!

The Secret of Shadow Ranch

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 47 / 53
Date: October 29, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This was definitely a great addition to the Nancy Drew computer games. They changed the inventory window and it takes a little time to get used to it. Yes, it is frustrating at first but by the end, I decided it was a great idea.
In this mystery, Nancy goes to a ranch (I guess you probably figured that out from the title :) We do not get see Bess and George because their plane was delayed but we still get to call them and the Hardy boys to get hints.
The suspects in this game are Shorty- the cook; Tex- the head wrangler; Dave- the cowboy; and Mary Yazzi- an antique seller.
Nancy rides a horse in the game, which is neat. Some of the chores Nancy does at the Ranch are a little tedious and repetitive but they did seem to get easier as they go.
In the end, I really liked this mystery and I am ready to start the next one that comes out.

Not the best Nancy Drew game...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 17 / 18
Date: July 25, 2004
Author: Amazon User

First of all, I think that the Nancy Drew games are wonderful. The developers have done a great job in the creation of these software programs. I have met fans of these games that are young girls, elderly adults, and even urban, teenage guys. With their affordable prices, you can't go wrong with a Nancy Drew software game.

That said, this is one of my least favorite games in the series. It starts out well - Nancy takes a trip out west to a working ranch where there are phantom horses, treasure lore, historical romance, and quirky characters. The visuals are lovely and the music is fun. But, the enjoyment of solving the mystery quickly gets lost in the tedious tasks that make up most of the gameplay. There are a lot of puzzles and clicking activities that are required to complete the game. Normally, puzzles add interest and intrigue to the gameplay process. In this case, however, the sheer number of mundane tasks and procedures make the game frustrating and, often times, boring. For example, doing a detailed pixel search to find ten arrowheads scattered around the game...trying to bake a cake ten times because much of it is trial and error...playing the same gameboard on an arcade game fifteen or twenty times to receive a necessary prize, etc. Many of these tasks are built into the storyline, such as the daily chores of picking vegetables and gathering eggs. Although these activities help give the game an authentic "ranch experience", they come at a sacrifice of the actual mystery-solving. I wish that the developers had spent more time creating a multi-dimensional sleuthing experience, and less time coming up with random puzzles and trivial activities. In fact, it feels like many of these activites were added just to extend the playing time and drag out the gameplay. This is certainly a case where quantity is not better than quality.

The developers also used a new visual format to create a larger action screen. The tools and objects that Nancy uses are now in pop-up menus that are activated at the bottom of the screen. The dialogue box also pops up during conversation and then disappears. This design makes sense in theory, but adds to the frustration during gameplay because of the additional pointing and clicking that is required. At times, it was also awkward to maneuver through the scenes - you might see an item of interest but have to turn around or back up before you could actually click on it.

That said, I am not sorry that I bought the game. If you are a fan of the Nancy Drew games, or if you are interested in horses, ranching, etc, then you will probably want to buy this game. However, if you have not played a Nancy Drew game before, I would advise that you pick a different game to start in the series, such as Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake, Treasure in the Royal Tower, or Message in the Haunted Mansion. In my opinion, those games are more enjoyable for their pure sleuthing fun. If you like the Nancy Drew games but would also enjoy a more adult-oriented mystery game, then try the Law and Order software series.

Thoughts of what could have been...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 15 / 17
Date: July 26, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I love the Nancy Drew games, they're great. All of them (sans Secrets Can Kill) have been a truly enjoyable experience for me. The Secret of Shadow Ranch is one of those enjoyable experiences. As stated in another review, though, it is not without fault(s).

1. The Game Screen - Call me old-fashioned, but I tend to prefer the old game screen. It could be because I prefer being able to access my items without having to open up a new mini-window to do so, but that's my take. The larger game window isn't anything amazing, but I like it well enough. I also think that having the journal and cell phone as menu icons instead of something on your computer and an item is great. So if keeping it that way is good, then I guess I can sacrifice the old item system. Perhaps they can put the item box where it used to be, but shrink it by two icons (so it's 2x1), and put the cell phone and journal on the bar, and have the same conversation system as in SSR. Just a thought (or two).

2. The Ranch Chores - ND has been making lots of progress with the feel of their games lately (actually since Secret of the Scarlet Hand), with their more organic attitude towards puzzles and activities. However, the ranch chores are annoying. Not only can you get kicked out of the ranch for doing them incorrectly (picking an unripe veggie or two?), but you do them three times during the three days over which the game transpires. And speaking of puzzles...

3. Puzzles - Now, with a lot of this game being based on a "brain-vexing" treasure hunt, this may be too far. It seems as though HI threw some puzzles in just to extend the game. Like the ranch chores, the puzzles can become annoying at times (such as a puzzle where you must navigate four magnetic beads through a maze that is partially hidden by wood). The hints throughout the game for puzzles and other such things are almost giveaways at times. I also tend to feel that Nancy shouldn't have to rely on the internet and phone friends for so much of the game, but I suppose it's less annoying that flipping through a "book" to find the info.

All in all, it was great. But these flaws are upsetting after the wonder that was DODI, which is HI's crowning achievement to date. Hopefully all that was good in DODI will return in the next installment: The Curse of Blackmoor Manor.

Not HI's best effort

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 24 / 34
Date: July 29, 2004
Author: Amazon User

First off let me say that I have played every Nancy Drew game in the series and am a die-hard fan of all the games. This was a fun and challenging game (as they all are). However, there were a few tragic flaws:
1. Hate the new popup window. HATE IT! You have to click to bring up the window, scroll to your item, select it, X out of the window, (being careful not to accidentally place your item back into inventory, and on and on. It is annoying. I much prefer the old screen setup, as found in DODI, GDML, etc.
2. I enjoyed doing the farm chores, etc. the first time around. It was different and gave the feeling of being on a ranch. However, I didn't like having to pick eggs and vegatables over and over! That is not called fun! That is called tedious work! I can do tedious work anytime! In this same vein is the cake baking incident, in which you have to use trial and error to figure out how to bake the cake. And though baking a cake 27 times may be fun to some (the developers of this game?) I found it excruciating. The crowning jewel of this hidious repetitiveness was the lengthy failure sequence you had to endure everytime you messed up! "What, Nancy? You picked on over-ripe tomato! How could you! Pack your bags missy, you're out of here!" I mean, who would really do that?
3. Also, this game did not seem to have the same atmosphere as the previous few games. I did not find myself feeling spooked, scared, or even unnerved by anything. I mean, aren;t mystery games supposed to be a little tiny bit scary? For example: Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake; those dogs, the graveyard, the bird guy who only comes out at night-scary! Or Scarlet Hand; empty museum, ancient tombs, smugglers-spooky! Now, I am a big baby and got on edge/jumpy with most of the other games in the series, and I don't even like "scary" games, but this game...come on, the glowing horse just rides up and then runs away. Oooh, dangerous, a horse rode by. Even the ghost town was a snooze!
Alright, I know I'm sounding negative, but it is only because this game felt like a step down from the previous games, which were exquisite, and I waited SO LONG for another Nancy Drew game to play. But seriously, despite these flaws, this game was still FAB! Not the best offering, but not the worst either. It is an awesome series and the people at Her Interactive are awesome. I wish there were more games like Nancy drew and less action/adventure/gory/violent shootemups. If you like fun challenges, you'll like this game.

Shadow Ranch - Get there now!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 10
Date: April 02, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The Crime: A -

Bess and George's Aunt Bet have chucked their life in Phoenix and bought Shadow Ranch. Now a phantom horse is appearing at night, heralding major accidents. Just before Nancy arrives, for example, Bess's uncle is bit by a rattlesnake and rushed to the hospital. What's going on here?

Suspects include cook Shorty Thurmond, store owner Mary Yazzie, and ranch hands Tex and Dave.

Fun fact - Mary Yazzie's character was named Mary Deer in the book. I don't know why they changed it.

By this point in the series, I was looking for something meatier than yet another tale of buried treasure and phantom animals.

The story is just too dang engaging to be ignored, though. Plus there are horses. Horses count for a lot in my book.

Puzzles: A -

Puzzles included everything from baking a cake to solving a little metal maze. The maze drove me insane.

One puzzle in particular made me roll my eyes because the way you find the solution is utterly dumb. You're looking for a really old piece of information, and Bess and George, stuck at the airport, happen to find a book that contains exactly what you need to know. And by old, I mean like a hundred years old. It was so contrived. Then again, I couldn't think of anything better, either.

Gameplay: A +

The new game interface features a wider screen and an inventory you have to open to access. I thought the wide screen was great but the extra clicking irritated me, because if you may miss the little button to close it or change pages. You get used to it, though.

Western life comes alive at Shadow Ranch, where you repair the chicken coop, perform daily tasks and always take care of your horse when you get back to the stable or Tex will have something to say to you!

Other fun in the game includes invesitgating a ghost town, learning to use a lariat (lasso) and completing a barrel race in under ten seconds.

You know how I said that DDI has everything but romance? Shadow Ranch has romance in spades. It's divine.

Time Changes: This one takes place in three days. When you complete the tasks for a certain day, it will automatically change to night.

Voice Acting: A

Raspy-voiced grump Tex sounds a lot like grumpy Red Knott from GDML (same voice actor) but it was nice to hear him again, like a phone call from an old friend. Many of the voice actors hear have appeared in other games, so it's a treat for a long-time fan. Superlative delivery, as always.

Favorites -
"My anti-persperant's going to get a workout today!" Nancy
"Ma'am." Dave
Any compliment Dirk Valentine gives Frances

Music: A +

Country-western heaven. (Except for Shorty's yodeling.) You could almost feel the heat.

IGraphics/Video: A +

Getting better and better all the time. Bonus points for the animated sequences such as gallop of the phantom horse.

Technical: A

No problems, just peachy.

Overall,

If you love Nancy Drew, this one's for you. A Must-have.

Another Great Title for the Spanning Series

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 13
Date: October 14, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I've played all of HI's (Herinteractive) Nancy Drew computer games (excluding #11, which I will soon play) to find all of them relatively superb except for the exception of possibly #8. Everything I say here, is exactly how I feel about this game. If you want a very thorough review, I think you could find it right here.

First off, you can not correctly reprimand this new sleuthing format wihtout playing any of the other games. Speculation from rumors are purely not acceptable. I found it to give the game a more realistic view add richness to your view. Though finding the tools was a bit confusing, it was so minor and really was easy to learn quickly.

The storyline takes you out to Arizona where you have to discover the secret behind this supposedly "phantom horse." Throughout the game you learn the history of this outlaw Dirk and his sweethart Frances. I won't elaborate for those who are interested in the game though for much of the story is of this tale.

The main tools you'll use extremely often (I accessed it too many times to keep track of) have a new setup for easier use, ie your cellphone. Though this new version was a little difficult to me for the first few times, it helped a lot in web surfing and calling.

Their are numerous different areas the adventure takes place in. And for all horse and animal lovers, such as me, will be thrilled to see your via of transportation is Bob the horse. Bob is though another track of responsibility though and some may not having to search through various different locations (some even without reception for you cell phone) for where exactly you need to go for the next part. Though for me, I love to explore and found everything relatively easily.

Don't be fooled if you are older than ten years old and think this is too young for you. And don't think vise versa either if you are younger than that. Sure it could be easier or harder depending on your age (and mystery and deductive skills) but there are fans of these games of all ages. Even mothers and fathers are players. Grandparents aren't excluded in that either.

Some parts are a bit difficult such as when you have that barrel racing and lassoing test from Tex. But never fear, being a good detective means having the patience to do it agian. I took that test trully over twenty times for the barrel racing part. But I finally got it and the reward is undescribable. If you ever need hints or spoilers, just look down to the bottom of this review and go to the same website except to the message board part of it.

The last major point is the real set of mood the game gives you. The characters are all pretty believable and all give you a reason to think of them as the culprit. The setting gives you this rustic and old west feeling.

It stresses this in your daily chores of picking ripe vegetables, collecting the eggs, and any other thing someone on the ranch wants you to do. You can have tons of fun too purposely messing up. It really is convenient with the second chance option to start you up again right before the mistake. You even have the option of having a bit of a crazy chicken attacking you.

Just like other HI's Nancy Drew games, you are not really following the trail of the mystery so to speak. You are going by on what you've discovered thus far. You work out the entire game this way until the end where you discover the answer to the mystery. Not to say this method is not fun, it is actually in a very suspensful way.

All in all, a very goood game with rich graphics, and a fun interactive mystery. Nancy Drew has been around for years with great books and hopefully this will continue in HI's Nancy Drew computer games.

If you want any information from HI about this product, check it out on www.herinteractive.com. Hopefully you have found this a helpful review. In my opinion, it's a great edition and am looking forward to Curse of Blackmoor Manor and all of the future games.

~*Nancy drew: The serect of shadow ranch *~

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: July 20, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This is a great game for 12 and up. You learn how to sattle& ride a horse, pick ripe veggies, talk to lots of people,serch every room and town. It is a great mystry and has great graphics. You will learn about petroglyphs,1900's fashion & moreIf you mess up (or die)in your game use the "second chance" and you will go right back to what you where doing a minunte before you messed up.It takes about 4 days to complet( if you don't use cheats) .If you don't like this one or want more nancy drew chose from any of there 10 titles

Secret of Shadow Ranch-Wow.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: August 21, 2006
Author: Amazon User

In The Secret of Shadow Ranch, you are invited to Arizona to stay on Bess and George's aunt and uncle's ranch. Unfortunatley, Bess and George seem to have a (ahem) "little" delay getting there with you, so for now, you're on your own. Spanning over a 3-day period, Shadow Ranch is definatley one of the best Nancy Drew games. The "new" big-screen, a cellphone in it's own compartment (with internet and email, though you can't send email!), and (my favorite), a notebook where Nancy keeps a journal (for all) and a checklist (only for Junior Detectives). And, as always, the toolbar, which takes up less space but holds more items. (A LOT more.) Begin your visit with a mystery. Where are the Rawleys? It turns out, at the hospital (!). Seems Ed Rawley had a little accident. He'll be OK though- but the Rawleys are staying at the hospital. And- what's this about a- PHANTOM HORSE??? Seems there's a lost treasure in the area- is it truth, or just a legend???

GAMEPLAY: 10! This game is longer than some of the others, it's over 3 days, but, unlike "THE CURSE OF BLACKMOOR MANOR", it's not tedious! There's a lot to do around the ranch- help Shorty, the cook, with the chores (strange, Shorty doesn't seem to do much), ride your horse, Bob, around Arizona, and, of course, solve the mystery- who's trying to sabotauge the ranch? And why?

CHARACTERS:9.5 There are some interesting people around the ranch, it seems. The 3 cowboys- Tex, the "head wrangler", Dave, the "foreman", and Shorty, the "cook"- are each suspicous-Nancy catches Dave, um, "digging", Shorty's been looking at gold deposits in the area (is he looking for Valentine's treasure?), and- was that TEX Nancy saw with Mary Yazzie?!? Mary Yazzie owns a store down one of the trails. She wants property from the Rawleys. Why? Maybe if you help her around her store, she'll help you...

GRAPHICS: 9.5 VERY good. Even better than Danger by Design- at least the characters. (Though sometime's Dave's beard looks like dots and it, um, moves.) The setting is very good as well, though Danger by Design has the BEST setting, in terms of graphics.

PUZZLES: 8.7 Some of the best puzzles are in this game, I think. None are extremeley hard, though they do make you think. (Hint: For the magnet puzzle, go to and from the board a few times in a row. It takes away the wood and makes the puzzle A LOT easier.)

FLAWS: Not many. I wish you could eat, and that you had your own room (or rather, you could see your own room). I have to admit, the setting, a desert, is not my favorite, but it works for the plot.

IS THIS WORTH YOUR MONEY?
I have to say, yes, it is. Junior detectives get A LOT of hints, if you want them, and the journal and task notes also help. Something for everyone, even if you don't like deserts much (like me, no offense), you'll love this game!

SECRET OF SHADOW RANCH

~By a Kid

The secret of Shadow Ranch and all other N.D. games

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: November 28, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Over the past year, we have purchased every Nancy Drew for our 12 yr. old daughter. It is a wonderful series of games for anyone to play. It takes a lot of thinking. I don't feel like these are a waste of time to play. I have never had any problems with any of these games.

Review Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Next 

Actions