Nancy Drew: Ghost of Thornton Hall
© 2014 Her Interactive, Inc.
Nancy Drew has appeared in books, movies and PC / Mac platforms. This app marks her debut on tablets (iPad, Kindle and Android). Sadly, not much has improved since the PC/Mac days in terms of interface. The screens are presented slide-show style, and you don't always know where to touch to navigate. It's as if they've simply ported a mouse and keyboard interface into a multi-touch environment. As a result, you spend time solving the wrong kind of mystery -- how to navigate -- rather than collecting clues. We'll hope things improve in the next edition. In terms of content, this app is promising. In the first of the series, Ghost of Thornton Hall (which is supposed to be the scariest), you learn of a fateful sleepover at the abandoned Thornton estate, which resulted in a ghost problem. You become Nancy, interviewing characters, solving puzzles and collecting evidence. There are two mysteries in this 508 MB app. Features include the ability to Fast Forward Conversations (called Fast Convo) which doesn't always work well, and multiple difficulty levels, from amateur to master sleuth. What also is less than clear is that you're only downloading a trial version of the app, with a timer that runs out after an hour of gameplay. So after you invest some time, you need to come up with $5.99 to finish the content which you've already downloaded. The app was developed in partnership with A.C.R.O.N.Y.M. digital.
$5.99, iPad, iPhone, Android
Teaches: logical thinking, reading
CTR Rating: 76%