| | |  | PC Games | Home » » » Nancy Drew: The Secret of Shadow Ranch | | | | | | | Description: | | Nancy Drew: The Secret Of Shadow Ranch is a thrilling Old West adventure set at a vacation ranch. The terra cotta cliffs hide ancient secrets that Nancy Drew must unravel - A ghostly horse is out for unearthly revenge, and the teen girl detective must find out why. Separate the truth from the ghost stories quickly, or you might be next on the list for unearthly revenge! | | | Features: | |
• Play as Nancy Drew in this interactive mystery-adventure game
• 20+ hours of thrilling game play; interview suspects
• New puzzles tie directly to the storyline and give important clues
• Solve the mystery on your own or team up with family and friends
• 2 difficulty settings for both experienced and new detectives
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 1.7 inches | | Product Width:
| 7.9 inches | | Product Height:
| 9.6 inches | | Product Weight:
| 0.08 pounds | | Package Length:
| 7.3 inches | | Package Width:
| 5.3 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.6 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.15 pounds | | Release Date:
| July 16, 2004 | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 102 reviews |
| | | Game Information: | | | Platform:
| Windows 98 / Windows 2000 / Windows Me / Windows XP | | Media:
| CD-ROM | | Item Quantity:
| 1 |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 102 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
113 of 117 found the following review helpful:
 An outstanding adventure through the old west!Aug 01, 2004
By Jane Eyre
I would like to begin my review by first stating that I find everyone's appalling comments for this game's new layout to be quite unjust. I thought the larger game screen to provide a more authentic experience. The new cell phone mode made calling and accessing information on the web extremely practical, as well as useful.
Secondly, the new tool mode was not nearly as hard to comprehend as many have expressed it to be. Really, if this game is marketed to anyone over the age of ten, I would have expected those over thirteen writing these reviews to have been able to grasp the simplicity of this feature.
Thirdly, I found the chores such as getting eggs, picking vegetables, and feeding the animals to be fun. I love being thrown out, though I will admit the tongue-lashing I get for my mistakes, whether purposeful or not, really leaves my spinning. In one instance, however, I even found myself being attacked by an extremely angry chicken. Who could not enjoy that?
The graphics in this game are extraordinary. I loved how real all of the rugs, petroglyphs, and so on looked. Her Interactive really is to be commended on this.
Throughout this game weaves a tale of mystery and romance. An outlaw by the name of Dirk Valentine left his treasure hidden somewhere for his love, and through following his clues he wrote for his love, I encountered much more than your average dust cloud...I encountered many dangerous things, that, if not treated right, could (and did) send me to my peril.
I would finally like to mention my favorite character in this series: Bob the horse. Bob and I went through a lot together, and I'm going to miss that horse. Live long and healthy, Bob!
46 of 51 found the following review helpful:
The Secret of Shadow RanchOct 29, 2004
By Rebekah Martin
This was definitely a great addition to the Nancy Drew computer games. They changed the inventory window and it takes a little time to get used to it. Yes, it is frustrating at first but by the end, I decided it was a great idea.
In this mystery, Nancy goes to a ranch (I guess you probably figured that out from the title :) We do not get see Bess and George because their plane was delayed but we still get to call them and the Hardy boys to get hints.
The suspects in this game are Shorty- the cook; Tex- the head wrangler; Dave- the cowboy; and Mary Yazzi- an antique seller.
Nancy rides a horse in the game, which is neat. Some of the chores Nancy does at the Ranch are a little tedious and repetitive but they did seem to get easier as they go.
In the end, I really liked this mystery and I am ready to start the next one that comes out.
23 of 25 found the following review helpful:
 Not the best Nancy Drew game...Jul 25, 2004
By LibraryPiper
First of all, I think that the Nancy Drew games are wonderful. The developers have done a great job in the creation of these software programs. I have met fans of these games that are young girls, elderly adults, and even urban, teenage guys. With their affordable prices, you can't go wrong with a Nancy Drew software game.
That said, this is one of my least favorite games in the series. It starts out well - Nancy takes a trip out west to a working ranch where there are phantom horses, treasure lore, historical romance, and quirky characters. The visuals are lovely and the music is fun. But, the enjoyment of solving the mystery quickly gets lost in the tedious tasks that make up most of the gameplay. There are a lot of puzzles and clicking activities that are required to complete the game. Normally, puzzles add interest and intrigue to the gameplay process. In this case, however, the sheer number of mundane tasks and procedures make the game frustrating and, often times, boring. For example, doing a detailed pixel search to find ten arrowheads scattered around the game...trying to bake a cake ten times because much of it is trial and error...playing the same gameboard on an arcade game fifteen or twenty times to receive a necessary prize, etc. Many of these tasks are built into the storyline, such as the daily chores of picking vegetables and gathering eggs. Although these activities help give the game an authentic "ranch experience", they come at a sacrifice of the actual mystery-solving. I wish that the developers had spent more time creating a multi-dimensional sleuthing experience, and less time coming up with random puzzles and trivial activities. In fact, it feels like many of these activites were added just to extend the playing time and drag out the gameplay. This is certainly a case where quantity is not better than quality.
The developers also used a new visual format to create a larger action screen. The tools and objects that Nancy uses are now in pop-up menus that are activated at the bottom of the screen. The dialogue box also pops up during conversation and then disappears. This design makes sense in theory, but adds to the frustration during gameplay because of the additional pointing and clicking that is required. At times, it was also awkward to maneuver through the scenes - you might see an item of interest but have to turn around or back up before you could actually click on it.
That said, I am not sorry that I bought the game. If you are a fan of the Nancy Drew games, or if you are interested in horses, ranching, etc, then you will probably want to buy this game. However, if you have not played a Nancy Drew game before, I would advise that you pick a different game to start in the series, such as Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake, Treasure in the Royal Tower, or Message in the Haunted Mansion. In my opinion, those games are more enjoyable for their pure sleuthing fun. If you like the Nancy Drew games but would also enjoy a more adult-oriented mystery game, then try the Law and Order software series.
11 of 11 found the following review helpful:
Shadow Ranch - Get there now!Apr 02, 2007
By Bethany L. Rogers
The Crime: A -
Bess and George's Aunt Bet have chucked their life in Phoenix and bought Shadow Ranch. Now a phantom horse is appearing at night, heralding major accidents. Just before Nancy arrives, for example, Bess's uncle is bit by a rattlesnake and rushed to the hospital. What's going on here?
Suspects include cook Shorty Thurmond, store owner Mary Yazzie, and ranch hands Tex and Dave.
Fun fact - Mary Yazzie's character was named Mary Deer in the book. I don't know why they changed it.
By this point in the series, I was looking for something meatier than yet another tale of buried treasure and phantom animals.
The story is just too dang engaging to be ignored, though. Plus there are horses. Horses count for a lot in my book.
Puzzles: A -
Puzzles included everything from baking a cake to solving a little metal maze. The maze drove me insane.
One puzzle in particular made me roll my eyes because the way you find the solution is utterly dumb. You're looking for a really old piece of information, and Bess and George, stuck at the airport, happen to find a book that contains exactly what you need to know. And by old, I mean like a hundred years old. It was so contrived. Then again, I couldn't think of anything better, either.
Gameplay: A +
The new game interface features a wider screen and an inventory you have to open to access. I thought the wide screen was great but the extra clicking irritated me, because if you may miss the little button to close it or change pages. You get used to it, though.
Western life comes alive at Shadow Ranch, where you repair the chicken coop, perform daily tasks and always take care of your horse when you get back to the stable or Tex will have something to say to you!
Other fun in the game includes invesitgating a ghost town, learning to use a lariat (lasso) and completing a barrel race in under ten seconds.
You know how I said that DDI has everything but romance? Shadow Ranch has romance in spades. It's divine.
Time Changes: This one takes place in three days. When you complete the tasks for a certain day, it will automatically change to night.
Voice Acting: A
Raspy-voiced grump Tex sounds a lot like grumpy Red Knott from GDML (same voice actor) but it was nice to hear him again, like a phone call from an old friend. Many of the voice actors hear have appeared in other games, so it's a treat for a long-time fan. Superlative delivery, as always.
Favorites -
"My anti-persperant's going to get a workout today!" Nancy
"Ma'am." Dave
Any compliment Dirk Valentine gives Frances
Music: A +
Country-western heaven. (Except for Shorty's yodeling.) You could almost feel the heat.
IGraphics/Video: A +
Getting better and better all the time. Bonus points for the animated sequences such as gallop of the phantom horse.
Technical: A
No problems, just peachy.
Overall,
If you love Nancy Drew, this one's for you. A Must-have.
16 of 18 found the following review helpful:
Thoughts of what could have been...Jul 26, 2004
By Mr. Matt
"Musician"
I love the Nancy Drew games, they're great. All of them (sans Secrets Can Kill) have been a truly enjoyable experience for me. The Secret of Shadow Ranch is one of those enjoyable experiences. As stated in another review, though, it is not without fault(s).
1. The Game Screen - Call me old-fashioned, but I tend to prefer the old game screen. It could be because I prefer being able to access my items without having to open up a new mini-window to do so, but that's my take. The larger game window isn't anything amazing, but I like it well enough. I also think that having the journal and cell phone as menu icons instead of something on your computer and an item is great. So if keeping it that way is good, then I guess I can sacrifice the old item system. Perhaps they can put the item box where it used to be, but shrink it by two icons (so it's 2x1), and put the cell phone and journal on the bar, and have the same conversation system as in SSR. Just a thought (or two).
2. The Ranch Chores - ND has been making lots of progress with the feel of their games lately (actually since Secret of the Scarlet Hand), with their more organic attitude towards puzzles and activities. However, the ranch chores are annoying. Not only can you get kicked out of the ranch for doing them incorrectly (picking an unripe veggie or two?), but you do them three times during the three days over which the game transpires. And speaking of puzzles...
3. Puzzles - Now, with a lot of this game being based on a "brain-vexing" treasure hunt, this may be too far. It seems as though HI threw some puzzles in just to extend the game. Like the ranch chores, the puzzles can become annoying at times (such as a puzzle where you must navigate four magnetic beads through a maze that is partially hidden by wood). The hints throughout the game for puzzles and other such things are almost giveaways at times. I also tend to feel that Nancy shouldn't have to rely on the internet and phone friends for so much of the game, but I suppose it's less annoying that flipping through a "book" to find the info.
All in all, it was great. But these flaws are upsetting after the wonder that was DODI, which is HI's crowning achievement to date. Hopefully all that was good in DODI will return in the next installment: The Curse of Blackmoor Manor.
See all 102 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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