Nancy Drew: The Secret of Shadow Ranch Review

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Nancy Drew: The Secret of Shadow Ranch

Review by Old RoosterAugust 2004

Michael Moore Visits Crawford, Texas?

What secrets lie within the Ranch of Shadows? How did a rattlesnake wander into the master bedroom? Why does the foreman wear dark sunglasses and a necktie microphone? Is this the clandestine replacement for Area 51? Why can’t reporters visit the reputed sprawling sub-basements?  How could visiting dignitaries be so attracted to this hot and dusty retreat—and have they all left? Where do those ATV trails really lead?

Forgive me for having a little fun with this tenth entry in the famed Nancy Drew PC game mystery series. Of course, this fine game has nothing at all to do with Mr. Moore or Crawford. Rather, we finally have a gameitization of the first and best-selling Drew mystery of all time—The Secret of Shadow Ranch. Published in 1931, this faithfully recreated and modernized story holds up very well, indeed, for its intended audience—preteen persons (not just girls; let’s be P.C. with our PC game!).

“Oh My Gosh, You’ve Got a Mystery to Solve, Don’t You!”  —Bess

As with my previous Drew review, I thought it best to see how a young person would feel about this rather simple adventure title. Luckily, I found a volunteer in 9-year-old Amanda. Now, Amanda was a most interesting helper. Although she has her own PC and is quite adept with it, Amanda has never played a PC or video game. Her parents are very religiously conservative and have generally classified all “video games” as something harmful and not allowed in their home.  In discussion with Amanda’s mom, it was agreed that Drew mystery novels were within acceptable limits. To make a long story short, we then logically moved to not only an acceptance of, but a real appreciation for, this particular PC game; in fact, quite excitedly so in the case of Amanda herself. A good part of my rating is how this 9-year-old first-time gamer reacted to Shadow Ranch.

As to the story, our heroine, still appearing to be in her late teens (she’s really in her nineties but visits Switzerland a lot), travels to a dude ranch in Arizona for a vacation. Of course, as with Jessica Fletcher, the Hardy Boys and Miss Marple, Nancy can’t seem to go anywhere without a crime either going on or following her closely. It makes one wonder, doesn’t it? Once arriving, she finds the ranch in relative disarray. The owner is in the hospital with a rattlesnake bite; some nasty damage has occurred on the ranch grounds; Bess and George have had their flight delayed; some of the staff, particularly the foreman, seem quite grumpy; and, to top it all off, there are rumors of hauntings by a phantom horse!

“I Don’t Snoop, I Sleuth!” —Nancy

Our game installed and ran smoothly, both on my system and my associate’s somewhat lesser system. Since this was her first adventure game, I encouraged her to go through the “tutorial,” or gameplay overview, which was very nicely done. It demonstrates the 360-degree rotational movement, use of arrows, examining with the magnifying glass, selecting inventory items, conversational options, case journal, cell phone, and the somewhat controversial inventory process.

Although the new removal of inventory items from direct screen view allows for greater screen size, accessing that inventory proves to be quite clumsy, involving several steps. One hopes the developers, who strive to make improvements in gameplay mechanics with each episode, will fine-tune this feature for Nancy Drew 11.

Amanda chose Junior over Senior detective, in terms of difficulty settings. This allows hints from NPCs along the way, extra phone call help, second chances when you bomb out. One option that Amanda particularly liked, since it fit in with her personal style (she’s a superior student), was the task list. She enjoyed Nancy saying: “Organized person that I am, I like to check things off.”  Accompanying the journal, this list is a helpful supplement to the logical and organized mind, although more experienced gamers will likely choose to not have such assists. Finally, you can save anywhere, in both Junior and Senior modes.

A word about the official strategy guide, if I may. This was included with our review copy, but I held it back from Amanda until she completed the game and then gave it to her. Occasionally, I would bring it along for reference when she called or I visited to answer a question and see how she was doing. I must say, it is a very well-done 32-page booklet, about six by eight inches in size, nicely presented, with vocabulary appropriate to the target age group. Its acquisition is encouraged, particularly for new gamers.

“This Is Not the Right Time” —Foreman

As with most adventure titles, certain items need to be acquired, conversations competed, places visited before later objectives can be approached. Of course, puzzles also need to be solved, most rather easily. There are some novel minigames (barrel racing, lasso practice) along the way, and a twist that Amanda and I had some real questions about. “Do I really have to do all those chores, all the time?”  complained my young friend. When checking this out, I felt as if I’d wandered into Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life. Although appreciating the educational value of the Drew games (let’s teach the child about life on a ranch), this particular set of expectations may be a bit much for many, and it becomes rather tiresome.

Of course, that’s only a minor glitch in an otherwise fine infusion of informational themes within the game and story. Amanda learned a good deal about horses, the Anasazi Indians, and general expectations when one lives on a ranch.

One of the Best Drew Games—for Amanda

It’s hard to envision a better first adventure game for a preteen person—girl or boy. The story is “safe,” interesting, and in a wide-open western setting replete with legends, romance and novel characters. Although graphics may seem dated to those of us used to the likes of Far Cry, this 3D engine, with 2D rendered backgrounds, is very serviceable and brought no complaints at all from my young helper. She played for 20+ hours as Junior Detective and now is going to replay in the Senior mode. Voice acting is excellent, as is the script. Puzzles are mostly integral to the story (finding 10 arrowheads) and are generally within the range of children’s abilities.

Perhaps best of all for Amanda, and other new gamers, is the system of guidance—ranging from the fine tutorial to the help available when Junior Detective difficulty level is selected. Amanda had a lot of fun with this, especially the “to do” list, which resembles her weekly school task format.

This my fifth Drew game and, although not my personal favorite (Danger on Deception Island has that honor), is the title in the series I would select unreservedly as a gift for a new and/or younger adventure gamer. For that person, it gets a Gold Star rating; for all others, a Thumb Up.

What I Liked Most About The Secret of Shadow Ranch

  • Extremely good first game for a preteen.
  • Excellent built-in help systems.
  • More game, less toolbar, on the screen is welcome.
  • The story is not only a classic, but interesting.
  • Educational value.

What I Liked Least About The Secret of Shadow Ranch

  • Accessing inventory is awkward.
  • Graphics engine is still five years old.
  • Ranch chore requirements are overdone. The End

The Verdict

The Lowdown

Developer: Her Interactive Publisher: Her Interactive Release Date: July 20, 2004

Available for: Windows

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Screenshots

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System Requirements

Windows 98/2000/ME/XP PII 400 64 MB RAM 16 MB DirectX compatible video card 16 bit DirectX compatible sound card 12X CD-ROM drive 300 MB free hard disk space

Where to Find It

Links provided for informational purposes only.  FFC makes no warranty with regard to any transaction entered into by any party(ies).

      Copyright © Electric Eye Productions.  All rights reserved.  No reproduction in whole or in part without express written permission.

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14 Responses to Fear Factor

  • Fear Factor | Tap-Repeatedly.com | Reality Topics Blog

    […] nobody@flickr.com (graftedno1) wrote a very interesting post today.   Here’s a quick excerpt:My greatest fear is to be trapped alone in a confined space with a blind human, in total darkness. They have a heightened sense of smell and hearing, and. […]

  • Matt "Steerpike" Sakey

    Lewis, you made me think of the scariest moments I’ve experienced in gaming, and we’re very similar people.

    Bioshock had two moments – the dentist and the flooded room filled with mannequins.

    Thief had Return to the Cathedral, which was terrifying to me. Thief 3 had Shalebridge Cradle, which is so scary it ought to be fined.

    System Shock 2 kept me on the edge of my seat, but it was more lonely panic than true fear.

    Korsakovia was so scary that I uninstalled it.

    And STALKER. Oh, god, the haunted labs in STALKER. The latter two games don’t have scares like that. Few games do.

    It’s especially rare for a game to have more than mere “moments” – for a game to be scary from beginning to end, that’s a triumph.

    Wonderful article. As if Gregg’s review wasn’t enough to convince me that Penumbra is not something I have the courage to play!

  • DPenn

    I’m with you Lewis … I’m a bit of a puss. I just have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of dread as entertainment.

    Still, I’m drawn to dark stories when they have something interesting to say, whether it’s a game like Thief or a film like, say, Gaspar Noe’s Irreversible. So I’ll push through, sometimes peering through my fingers.

    The trouble with games, though, is that if you look through your fingers, you’re probably just going to have to play through the scenario again. :~)

  • Mike "Scout" Gust

    I wanted to play this game. I downloaded the demo but the controls were just too wonky for me to get my head around. I liked the atmospheric vibe a lot. I think I’m a bit desensitized from an overdose of horror movies in my youth so I don’t so much get the dread thing from these games as a nice creepy vibration. If only the controls were better…

  • Lewis B

    @ Mike, what’s wrong with the controls bud? As someone who despises poor control schemes, Penumbra’s is just like any other FPS, except to examine things you right click on them.  To use things you left click.  I’m not sure that can be considered difficult 🙂

  • Gregg B

    @Steerpike: Yeah my greatest shit-scared moments were with those games too. A few spoilers below people, so beware.

    Bioshock – Haha, I remember the dentist. I didn’t really find the game that scary overall but the bit where you go into the wine cellar and notice a mannequin facing the wall and after upgrading your weapon it’s stood directly behind you motionless and quiet just for a moment before attacking you. I shat a brick. I also missed that bit originally until Lew told me about it.

    System Shock 2 – same as you really, more unremitting tension all the way through rather than specific terrifying moments. Oh actually, theres a bit where you call a lift and it breaks then you realise a service droid is coming to fix it… I do remember having sleep issues after my first encounter with the cyborg ninjas though.

    Thief: The Dark Project – The Sword and Return to the Cathedral and Down in the Bonehoard and well, loads of them. The Sword made me break out into goosebumps though because there was a bit where you could hear this creepy giggling which seemed like it was following me about then it suddenly changed to this horrible throaty noise. What made matters worse was that the EAX (bless you Creative) made my foot steps sound like somebody else was there with me. That level was incredible, a bit too incredible as it seems I missed great chunks of it because I was so eager to leave.

    Thief II: The Metal Age – Trail of Blood where you end up in that opening with those damn tree beasts. God the first time I saw one of those hurtling towards me I actually died shortly afterward. Do you remember that Mechanist child walking around on one of the levels? That was a little creepy.

    Then there’s Penumbra: Overture – quite a few bits but I’m not mentioning them here.

    Oh and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. – The brain scorcher lab just because it was so damn quiet. My imagination seriously got the better of me there. Those stuffed animals and heads I’d seen in various buildings led me to believe that those creatures were lurking somewhere in the Zone, specifically that lab.

    @Mike: My control setup was perfect after some tweaking (as well as the simple weapon swing fix). If you ever fancy giving it another go, give me a shout and I’ll let you know my setup.

  • Lewis B

    I’m not sure why guys, but one of my starting paragraphs had gone missing, even though I copied it straight from the original source, and It was fine earlier. 

    Incase you missed it due to some technical issue you might want to re-read just after “Well no she wouldn’t in truth, but in Penumbra: Overture you don’t want to move anyway.” at the very start for those who’ve already read the article. Apologies 🙂

  • Mike "Scout" Gust

    Lewis, it was the weapon swing. It had this terrible, unresponsive feel to it, like trying to hit through molasses. I couldn’t stand using it. I tried the .ini fix as mentioned in the review but it didn’t seem to help. Of course this was the demo…but that shouldn’t have made any difference. I might try the second game instead as I guess they did away with the weapons thing.

    I’m see your first paragraph just fine. It’s the dialogue, right?

  • jdeuel

    I like the argument that weapons can remove fear, but even loaded to the teeth with ammo in AVP’99 the Marine missions were frightful because the enemy was anywhere at any time.

    As for Penumbra Overture, if the controls are anything like the original Penumbra they need to hack in some Wii-Remote 3d controls. I did not like using my mouse for 3d movements.

  • Gregg B

    @Mike: I’ve read that many people avoided conflict altogether in Overture which incidentally is something forced upon you in Black Plague. As somebody who has been renovating a house over the last 6 months with no DIY experience I can safely say that swinging a hammer is significantly easier in real life than it is in Overture without the fix. The fix balanced that for me.

    I’d highly recommend completing the first Penumbra because it’s one big build up to Black Plague which spoils the ending to Overture in the intro. And it’s a great ending too. Just so you know!

  • Lewis B

    @ Steerpike, those moments you mention are all my worst too!!  Do you remember the Robot labs in SS2? Absolutely terrifying, waiting for robots to burst out on you! 🙁 oh and have you ever player Condemned?

    @ Mike, The use of weapons in Penumbra is different to say HL2, where the player is physically holding the weapon, as in Penumbra it floats slightly infront of you.  However, if you change the control method to normal weapon swing, it’s no different!  Speak to Greggi and he’ll tell you what to do 🙂

    @ jdeuel, AVP the original and its sequal were scary however what type of fear do you think it is? I don’t think it’s anything more than sheer tension.  Having a Smart Gun makes you feel incredibly powerful.  I can honestly say in Penumbra the fear is sheer unrivalled terror, where you actually have to force yourself to play on.  It genuinly is that scary! 🙂

  • Jason Dobry

    It’s so true, an arsenal of weapons and ammo rapidly deflates any sense of horror or uneasiness in any game for reasons you already mentioned. Sakey, I thought Bioshock was more “lonely panic,” while I was pretty much always terrified in System Shock 2. I really, really, REALLY did not want to enter The Many’s nursery, and my weapons were so unreliable and ammo so scarce that I never felt safe.

    Silent Hill was terrifying for the same reasons. Ammo was rare and I frequently had to rely on my pipe for self-defense.  Even when I had ammo, the game mechanics prevented my character from being anything other than marginal with any firearm.

    Fear had one moment for me: I was climbing up a ladder, and as I reached the upper platform, my guy briefly looked down as he climbed off. As my perspective looked up again, that Ring-esque little girl was RIGHT THERE, reaching for me. I screamed and she was gone.

    What else…the original Aliens vs. Predator sent me into a locker room and I could only hear the facehuggers scurrying about somewhere within. I had to go in there. I advanced about three steps before the damn thing screamed and filled up my screen with its repulsive underside as it implanted me with its spawn. My roommate made fun of me for weeks for screaming like a girl child.

    Korsakovia–meh.  I was too annoyed and frustrated by the box rearrangement/jumping puzzles to be scared. I uninstalled it after an hour of play, I think. Maybe the scary parts were later, but I doubt it.

    As for Penumbra, I did play through about half of it before other games distracted me. I remember unease and creepiness, but no sweaty fear. I think I’m to blame here, or, more precisely, my daughter, who was still an infant at the time and generally allowed me only to play during the day for 45 minutes at a time. I was denied total immersion and the fear effect suffered. Maybe I should give it another go after I finish Call of Pripyat since she sleeps through the night now. With any luck, Penumbra will keep me from doing the same.

  • Gregg B

    I played the demo of F.E.A.R. but that ladder scare is the only bit I remember. Christ, that made me jump. I’m not too good with cat scares.

    Also I felt exactly the same about Korsakovia. It was creepy at first but then it began to irritate me far too much and it just soured the experience. I stopped playing as a result. Not to mention, when I realised I could bash those smoke-things with my crowbar they didn’t bother me nearly as much.

  • Online Up

    Great article. I look forward to reading more in the future.

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