I would love to start off and say there has been some activity in my Nancy Drew Computer Game Marathon, unfortunately there has not been so I can't. As I said I would love to, but I can't. Work got very busy there about a week or so ago. If you looked at my Windmills of Turtlesmind Blog, you will see for a few days there I was pretty much working around the clock. Next to that I have had craziness going on in my personal life as well so here I am having not even written a blog review in about ten days. As mentioned in my last blog, the plan is to begin playing, the Secret of the Scarlet Hand. I am craving some cookies from Oaxaca (hehe). Anyway on to the next blog review. Today I am looking at one of my top five favorite games in the series, I probably mentioned it in my first post, Treasure in the Royal Tower. This is one of the first ones I played and one of the only games that I can honestly say I know every minute of the game start to finish off the top of my head. Any questions on this game leave in the comments below.
The Basics: So Nancy Drew: Treasure in the Royal Tower is one of the first games that really made me laugh. The characters are memorable and the plot is solid. It is detailed enough without being too complex. Nancy Drew heads out to beautiful Wisconsin for some skiing from famous, or infamous, Olympic skiier Jacques Brunais. She stays at Wickford Castle, which the owner runs as a ski resort. The owner also happens to be a friend of her lawyer father Carson Drew. As usual the actual owner of the castle, Christi Lane, is away. This fact will be repeated in almost every game of its kind. Secret of Shadow Ranch, White Wolf of Icicle Creek, etc. As soon as the game begins the caretaker inform you that the library has been vandalised so in addition to a storm too dangerous to ski in, you cannot even sit and enjoy a nice book.
Speaking of books, this game is based on the Nancy Drew book of the same name. This book is a little more detailed and you do get to follow the mystery with Bess and George along as well but a word of warning, the book and the game have the same culprit so if you would like to play the game without this spoiler, I would reccommend waiting until you have finished the game in order to read the book, but even though you may know the ending, it is a entertaining read nonetheless.
Dexter Egan:Dexter is the castle's caretaker and employee of Christi Lane. Next to Jacques, who is not much help anyway, Dexter is the only person working in the castle during he owner's absense. He may seem hard at first but earn his trust and he may turn out to be your biggest ally. However he will put you to work. I hope you brought your walking shoes, it is a big castle.
Jacques Brunais:Jacques is very french and actually not the most dramatic of the characters you will meet at Wickford Castle. He is working as a ski instructor while his 'petit chou' (which oddly means "my little cauliflower") attends the University in Madison. He may be an employee but he is not too much help around the castle. However he does play a major role in connection to the plot.
Lisa Ostrum:Probably one of the most annoying characters in my opinion. She can be found in the lounge on the main floor reading a magazine. If you look closely she is actually reading an article on Mattie Jensen from the second game "Stay Tuned for Danger". You will find HER does that quite a bit in their games linking the series together. Lisa always has a juicy tidbit to share with you.
Professor Beatrice Hotchkiss:Prof. Hotchkiss is definitely my favorite character in this game. She is quirky and fun just like most of my professors in University. She is a scholar of french history and particularly fond of Marie Antoinette. Sometimes she even lets you run history based errands. However be prepared to prove yourself before she will talk to you. She reminds me a lot in this sense of Millie Strathorn (Stay Tuned for Danger) and Richard Topham (Secret of the Old Clock).
The "puzzles" in this game are fairly simple and make sense with the plot of the game. For example, resetting the elevator and turning the checking the breaker to turn stair lights on are both logical tasks for a ski resort inside the castle. However you will find the odd fun puzzle or game thrown in to mix it up. The most obvious that comes to mind is a little tile game encountered later on. Like many other games, this is definitely an "errand girl Nancy" game, well at least for the beginning. Eventually Dexter will ease up and let you get your sleuth on. Stay on your toes and examine everything.
The setting in the game is detailed and fabulous. Even though it is from like 2002, the setting still remains one of my favorites and out of the castle games (Treasure in the Royal Tower, The Captive Curse, and Haunting of Castle Malloy) is definitely the most richly and beautifully designed. It does annoy me that there are so many nooks and crannies, doors, and hallways that cannot be explored. Oh well there is always crawling around the elevator shaft to keep you entertained.
This game earns a 3.8/5
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| Upstairs Landing: Treasure in the Royal Tower |
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