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I loved it!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 34 / 35
Date: December 03, 2007
Author: Amazon User

"Legend" is, simply, fun. HER Interactive manages to interest an enormous age range of players from 10 years old and up. And I mean UP: I am 77. I was gratified that there were no tedious chores to do in this game, however.

The story takes place in New Orleans in a spooky mansion to which is attached a huge cemetery. You have to find the Crystal Skull and determine whether the owner of the mansion, Bruno Bolet, was murdered. As usual, there are four suspects. Plenty of atmosphere to titillate young and old player hearts. You collect, of all things, glass eyeballs. One of your tasks is to find the graves of various people via outrageous puns such as Myra Maines (my remains) and Constance Norring (constant snoring). OK, OK, that may seem a bit juvenile but I laughed my head off, and of course 10 year olds will be right in their element.

The puzzles are well-integrated into the plot and they are not all that easy.Several require good mouse technique and a good eye, and at least in my case, many tries before success. However, if an old lady can succeed, so can you!

The graphics are excellent as is the voice acting.The four human suspects are well done and their mouth movements match their speech. The huge cemetery is suitably creepy. It never stops raining and I really felt quite sodden sitting here.

You encounter a potpourri of stuff including hoodoo, a lesson in dentistry, a live iguana which you dress up in costumes after enticing him with a loquat, New Orleans gumbo, a Rube Goldberg device, skeletons...what more could you ask for?

5 stars.

Another Great Nancy Drew!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 22 / 22
Date: October 17, 2007
Author: Amazon User

My daughters and I await each ND with anticipation. Fun scares, good thinking games and entertaining stories keep us coming back for more. Sadly, we finished it in about ten hours so now it's just a waiting game until the next one.
I love the family-friendly story line mixed with little "scares" and snares. A+++++

Delving into the dark side of New Orleans...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 16 / 16
Date: December 09, 2007
Author: Amazon User

On Nancy's seventeenth mystery, she's plunged deep into a world of illusions, secret societies, family secrets, and dark magic in New Orleans. Nancy had only planned to visit a friend of a friend while sightseeing the French Quarter, but as fans know, nothing ever goes as planned. Orphan Henry Bolet, a self-styled Goth with dyed black hair, eyeliner, and tattoos, is the sole heir of his only relative, great-uncle Bruno. Bruno was unconventional to say the least: an unmarried dentist, he had a large collection of glass eyes (which Nancy must find throughout the game), domesticated "pets" (some more tame than others) that he trained to perform tricks, and he was caretaker of the nearby cemetery, which explains the model cemetery and list of "residents." When Nancy goes to check up on Henry, she's knocked out by a skeleton, and her sleuthing skills kick into high gear as the late Bruno's secrets come to light. He was the last known owner of The Whisperer, a crystal skull from antiquity that is said to give its owner immortality.

Bruno's mansion is filled with odd collections of games and books, and the slanting, twisted halls are bathed only in candlelight as the fierce storm has knocked out the electricity. Nancy must solve the mystery of Bruno's death and the location of the Whisperer while battling wasps, poisonous spiders, cranky alligators and other hazards. On this trip, her friend Bess Marvin provides moral (and sleuthing) support in the French Quarter. Reluctant Bess plays an important role and is the key to solving several puzzles; she must dig up clues and interview suspects in order to help the investigation progress. Players switch between Nancy and Bess by calling each other via cell phone.

There are several potential suspects in Dr. Bolet's death: his nephew Henry, his housekeeper Renee, (who dabbles in voodoo), Dr. Gilbert Buford (Bruno's best friend and physician), and Lamont, owner of Zeke's curio shop. This may be one of the most complete Nancy Drew titles; there is ample backstory and character development, including appearances from characters in earlier ND games. The plot twists had me thinking I knew who the villain was until the very end, when it turned out I'd been wrong. Also, this ending was a vast improvement over the last three ND games, which featured lackluster endings and villains. Puzzles are varied, including several arcade-style games, musical puzzles (these are closed captioned), riddles, and matching games. I can't think of a single puzzle that qualified as filler. There is plenty to explore outside the mansion, including a mazelike cemetery and garden. My only gripes would be with the underdeveloped mansion (you can only explore five rooms, including Renee's bedroom, an empty spare room (where exactly does Henry sleep??), and the study) and limited exploration of the French Quarter (more variety would have been nice).

The graphics are at an all-time high. Lightning flashes and dynamic rain really create an atmosphere of dread. Candles flicker in the gloom. The game starts with a warning to play with the lights off...this isn't because of the scare factor, but rather because the game takes place at night, in the rain, by candlelight. If you try playing with the lights on, you literally won't be able to see. Character animations are fluid and natural. Cutscenes are cinematic. All of these create a feeling of realism unmatched in earlier games. The sound effects are equally impressive, from the different rain sounds (rain on windows, foliage, and rooftops) to the haunting snippets of jazz and foreboding music that fade in and out at random.

There is also a great deal of humor present, including nods to earlier games (there are three Easter eggs to discover). One of the puzzles involves finding graveyard denizens via a series of clues which lead to name puns. I was laughing out loud as I finally put two and two together.
Some parents may be hesitant to purchase this game because of its focus on death (cemeteries, skeletons) and dark magic (voodoo, spells, magic herbs, curses), but these elements are handled tastefully. There are some genuinely creepy moments (such as a meeting that Bess must infiltrate), but no worse than one would find in a PG halloween movie.
This was by far the most entertaining, well-put-together Nancy Drew game that I've had the pleasure to play (and I've played all seventeen numerous times). Let's hope that Her Interactive's return to its former greatness continues on the next title "The Phantom of Venice."

Not as good as its predecessors

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 21 / 26
Date: October 17, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I have played all of the Nancy Drew Games, and I wish that HER Interactive would find one formula of game play and STICK TO IT. In one game there may be many characters, several opportunities to die, challenging puzzles and many different locales to explore. In others, they stick to one basic location, very few characters and easy puzzles. This particular game falls into this category. Not many characters, one main location for about 80% of game play, and the puzzles are either really easy, or the solution is way out in left field. This definitely was not one of my favorites.

One of the best

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 12 / 16
Date: October 14, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This is quite possibly one of the best Nancy Drew PC games we've ever played. We've played each one (a group of 4 of us) and enjoy the ND games since they're family friendly. This one is especially enjoyable because of the challenging puzzles and we found the subject matter very interesting. The graphics are getting better with each game. Out of the 17 ND games to date this one is my personal favorite (and we're only half way through the game!!)

Raining at the Mansion

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: November 14, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This adventure has everything I look for in this type of game; a haunted house, a rainstorm (that you walk in and never get wet!), New Orleans and hints of voodoo. The characters are interesting, not annoying, and there are less phone calls than in other Nancy Drew games. The problem is that many of the puzzles are not solvable. They involve tedious trial and error for a solution that cannot be deduced by logical reasoning, or simply make no sense at all. I found myself on the cheat boards often, and felt disheartened when I realized there was no way to have "figured it out" myself. Play this one for the gothic ambiance, but don't waste time if you can't 'get' the puzzle.

The Legend of the Crystal DULL...

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 12 / 18
Date: November 19, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I realize that I am in the minority here, but I really didn't enjoy this ND game. On the positive side, the plot moves along, the graphics are great and it is more challenging than most of the last releases. However, many of the puzzles are just not that logical and can be VERY tedious. This is the first Nancy Drew game that I have had to consistently resort to cheat sites to get through (even on Junior Detective). Normally, I can complete the whole mystery with only one to two hints.

It seems like HER is trying to respond to customer comments and create longer, more challenging games. Some of the puzzles in this particular game do that very well. Other parts, however, really miss the mark. If you are a fan of other ND games, you'll probably enjoy this one, too. If you haven't played any other games in the Nancy Drew series, this is NOT a good choice to start with.

They're getting better!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: November 18, 2007
Author: Amazon User

When ND games first came out, my daughter and I fell in love with them. We could play them together and the puzzles were challenging and the situations were sometimes scary (the kind of scary as in anticipation of who or what is around the corner.) The locations were often historical and we learned a lot while having fun playing the game. But the last few games have been just plain dumb, no real suspense or challenge, just silly, repetitive tasks or puzzles that were so hard they became very frustrating. We had about given up on ND games, especially with the most recent ones having so many bugs and the theme music being gone. But HI redeemed themselves with CRY. The puzzles are very challenging but solvable, there is a definite element of suspense and anticipation, and best of all no repetitive busywork. I do wish we got to do a bit more exploring, and really would like the endings to be more challenging. That used to be one of the scariest parts, trying to get away from or to catch the culprit! Now it seems like the story just kind of ends and you have to sit through a long explanation. CRY is definitely back on the right track but there are still improvements to be made, and HI, please bring back that opening theme music- that really set the mood for a good mystery!

Predictable Ending

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: December 27, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Like many reviewers have stated, the creators of the Nancy Drew games seem to have been listening to us, and the more recent games have become more challenging.

I do have a few complaints with this game that my girls have stated: There were many activities, but many were very tedious and did need the cheats on the message board.

The ending was predictable. None of us had any doubt "who done it" from the very beginning.

The ending was far too easy and like my daughter stated, just didn't make any sense why they did the activity they did to escape the situation they were in.

I'm not sure I liked the idea of toying with the world of voodoo, even if they called it hoodoo.

My girls did like the idea of playing as Bess. They really enjoyed Bess' character.

Other than that, it was a fun game. Yes, I played it-I always do! It was not my favorite though. I still really like "Treasure in the Royal Tower" and "Curse of Blackmoor Manor".

Good but still not great compared to past games!!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: November 25, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I enjoyed playing this game, but was hoping for more thrills and excitement! The beginning starts off with a bang. Nancy walks up to the house and knocks on the door as it opens on its own. She walks in and sees a figure in the next room dressed in a scary costume as the dark house is suddenly illuminated by a flash of lightening and roar of thunder from outside! I won't give much more away but this is the only suspenseful moment in the game. The rest is searching for clues, questioning suspects and solving puzzles which is great but there should be more excitement throughout the entire game, not just in the beginning. We should have seen the costumed culprit a few times in the game like in the spooky graveyard that you as Nancy get to investigate! I loved the New Orleans setting and the rainstorm was a perfect fit! The game takes place in and around the house and a few times in town as Bess questions a few other suspects. This is a new feature as you take on the character of Bess. Everytime Nancy and Bess call each other, you switch to the other character. Near the end, the game froze as the call switched over. I think other people had this problem so what worked for me is that you save the game right when it freezes and then load it again and it should continue on. A small glitch Her Interactive should have caught. I've noticed the size of these games get larger and larger. I usually delete them once I play them because they take up so much space. I could buy more memory but no sense in a game staying on my computer until I play it again, if I decide to. The character of Bess can be annoying. She is always complaining and is not as adventurous as Nancy. Maybe if they use George again, we can have two strong female characters. I just got tired of Bess playing the chicken and whining about helping. My favorite games to date are Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake, Danger on Deception Island and Secret of Shadow Ranch because they use several locations and it's suspenseful throughout with prolonged, exciting endings. I know other fans complain about the endings being dull, too short and not exciting. Her Interactive asks you to write game reviews on their website, and I truly believe they listen to what the fans say. I will be letting them know I want more suspense and scary moments through the entire game and better endings! I know these games are geared towards younger adults as well so they don't want to make it too scary, but they need to consider the older adults too who want more chills! Maybe they can offer a new feature that has a 'Mildly Scary' and 'Super Scary' option? All in all, the game is good but it could have been improved a bit. The ending was okay but not as fun as others. When you spend so much time solving the mystery, there should be a bigger payoff at the end! One last thing, there is a swamp in the bayou with a boat just off the graveyard. I was really hoping Nancy would get to take the boat out somewhere which would have been fun, but they didn't include that feature. Why go to New Orleans if you can't even ride down the bayou in a boat!? I wish we could have learned more about hoodoo as well. The subject is mentioned but they don't go into too much detail with it. It would have been more fun if there was a witch doctor character added and maybe Nancy could have conjured up some hoodoo spells. Sort of like the movie The Skeleton Key with Kate Hudson. 3.5 stars

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