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<\/a>Everyone loves Nancy Drew.\u00a0 Well, everyone with any sense, anyway.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Are you a Mom with a daughter?\u00a0 Looking for a fun activity to do together?\u00a0 Read on . . .<\/p>\n
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Does it surprise you that moi, <\/em>, rough-and-ready manly man Ray Ivey that I am, am a huge Nancy Drew fan?\u00a0 It shouldn\u2019t.\u00a0 I do have a big sister, after all, and I grew up with the books in the house.\u00a0 I loved them.\u00a0 Of course, when I became aware of Teen Sleuth Series that was gender-appropriate, I tried it.\u00a0 But like many other disappointed readers I quickly learned that compared to Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys are lame, lame lame.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n I also love computer games, and so I was very happy that Seattle software developers Her Interactive (\u201cFor Girls Who Aren\u2019t Afraid of the Mouse\u201d) began releasing Nancy Drew adventure games in the late 1990s.\u00a0 Since 1998, in fact, they have released twenty-one of<\/em> them. The games are terrific, and I\u2019ve long been a big fan of them.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Starting a few years ago, a new type of casual adventure games began appearing on the PC.\u00a0 Known as \u201cHidden Object\u201d games, they are fast, fun, and yes \u2013 casual.\u00a0 I love them as well.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Therefore I\u2019m very happy to report that the talented folks at Her Interactive have adapted the plucky teen sleuth for the Hidden Object Game market!\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Their spin-off series is called The Nancy Drew Dossier, and I just had the pleasure of finishing the first game, Lights, Camera, Curses<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The plot is classic Nancy:\u00a0 There\u2019s been trouble on a movie set!\u00a0 A remake of an old Egyptian epic has been plagued by mysterious accidents, and Miss Drew has been tasked with going undercover to get to the bottom of the mystery.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Upon launching the game, I immediately recognized that Her Interactive\u2019s biggest strength \u2013 recreating that elusive yet essential \u201cNancy Drew Vibe\u201d \u2013 had translated beautifully into this new, more casual format.\u00a0 All of the elements of the game \u2013 art, music, sound, voice work, puzzles and arcade sequences \u2013 work together to immerse the player in that irresistable atmosphere created by the original books.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0 The game takes the Hidden Object formula and adds a nice twist:\u00a0 The goal on most screens is to figure out how pairs of objects work together.\u00a0 This makes the hunting-and-finding chores feel less like chores and more like good detective work.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The plot, which features a greedy studio head, a flamboyant film director, a questionable production manager and a high-maintenance star, feels just right as well.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Clues are important to pay attention to, as at several points Nancy finds herself in conversations in which the player must choose the correct responses based on the information that has been available.<\/p>\n![\"Nancy-Drew-Dossier-Lights-Camera-Curses_1\"](\"http:\/\/rayivey.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/Nancy-Drew-Dossier-Lights-Camera-Curses_1-300x225.jpg\" "\\"Nancy-Drew-Dossier-Lights-Camera-Curses_1\\"")
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