Nancy Drew: Secret of the Old Clock

Nancy Drew: Secret of the Old Clock
Nancy Drew: Secret of the Old Clock
Developer(s)	Her Interactive
Publisher(s)	DreamCatcher
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows
Release	NA: July 12, 2005;
Genre(s)	Adventure
Mode(s)	Single player

Last updated January 26, 2022

Secret of the Old Clock is the 12th installment in the Nancy Drew point-and-click adventure game series by Her Interactive. The game is available for play on Microsoft Windows platforms. It has an ESRB rating of E for moments of mild violence and peril. Players take on the first-person view of fictional amateur sleuth Nancy Drew and must solve the mystery through interrogation of suspects, solving puzzles, and discovering clues. There are two levels of gameplay, Junior and Senior detective modes, each offering a different difficulty level of puzzles and hints, however neither of these changes affect the actual plot of the game. The game was created to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Nancy Drew's creation. It is based on the first four Nancy Drew books ever published: The Secret of the Old Clock , The Hidden Staircase , The Bungalow Mystery , and The Mystery at Lilac Inn .^[1]^[2]

Plot

The game is set in 1930, at the beginning of the Great Depression in the small fictional town of Titusville, Illinois. Nancy Drew has been asked to come to the Lilac Inn to see Emily Crandall, whom Nancy knows only through a mutual friend. Emily's mother died a month ago, leaving her to run the inn with the help of her guardian, Jane Willoughby. Emily and her mother had been counting on the generosity of their kindly but strange neighbor, Josiah Crowley, to leave them part of his estate to support the inn they own. But in his will, everything was left to Richard Topham, his ESP teacher. When Nancy arrives at the inn, she encounters a mystery involving stolen jewels, a missing will, car chases, and plenty of adventure.

Development

Characters

Nancy Drew - Nancy is an 18-year-old amateur detective from the fictional town of River Heights in the United States. She is the only playable character in the game, which means the player must solve the mystery from her perspective.
Emily Crandall - 17-year-old Emily runs the Lilac Inn with the help of her guardian, Jane, while quietly mourning the recent loss of her mother. She is plagued by strange occurrences - objects on the wall move, whispers call from the shadows, and things mysteriously disappear and then reappear, she says. Could she be just paranoid, or is she guilty of something?
Jane Willoughby - Gloria Crandall, Emily's mother, asked Jane to look after her daughter in case anything happened to her. Jane's doing her best to help Emily, but she doesn't know much about raising kids or running an inn. Jane is trying to convince Emily to sell the inn and split the profits with her. Could Jane have a hidden agenda?
Richard Topham - A self-proclaimed expert on ESP, Richard Topham lives near the Lilac Inn, in the house that once belonged to Josiah Crowley. It now serves as Topham's "School for the Study and Development of Paranormal Powers". Topham was the one to inherit Josiah's estate and money, even though Josiah told Emily that she and her mother would be included in his will. How did Topham come to inherit Josiah's estate?
Jim Archer - Jim Archer is a good-natured, but secretly desperate, businessman who is trying to make it through the Great Depression. Although he's always smiling, the bank he owns is teetering on the brink of failure. Would he forge a will, or steal Emily's mother's jewels, just to save his bank?

Cast

Nancy Drew - Lani Minella
Carson Drew - Dennis Regan
Jane Willoughby - Sarah Papineau
Emily Crandall - Walayn Sharples
Richard Topham / Additional Voices - Tim Moore
Jim Archer - Ben Laurance
Mrs. O'Shea / Additional Voices - Amy Broomhall
Miss Jakowski / Additional Voices - Megan Hill
Mr. Phelps / Additional Voices - Chris Spott
Tubby Telegram Guy / Additional Voices - Jonah von Spreekin
Bess Marvin - Alisa Murray
George Fayne - Patty Pomplun
Uri the Cat - Cory the Cat ^[3]

Reception

According to review aggregation website Metacritic, Secret of the Old Clock received "generally favorable reviews" from critics.^[4] Charles Herold of The New York Times called Secret of the Old Clock "pleasant but inconsequential", and noted that it was "one of the shortest and easiest games in the series".^[5]

Related Research Articles

The Bungalow Mystery is the third volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series written under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. It was the last of three books in the "breeder set" trilogy, released in 1930, to test-market the series.

The Secret of the Old Clock is the first volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series written under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. It was first published on April 28, 1930, and rewritten in 1959 by Harriet Stratemeyer Adams.

The Hidden Staircase is the second volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series written under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, published in 1930 and revised in 1959. The original text was written by Mildred Wirt Benson, and she has said that it is her personal favorite of the Nancy Drew Books she wrote.

<i>The Mystery at Lilac Inn</i> Fourth volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series

The Mystery At Lilac Inn is the fourth volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was first published in 1930 under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. Mildred Wirt Benson was the ghostwriter for the 1930 edition.

Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon is the 13th installment in the Nancy Drew point-and-click adventure game series by Her Interactive. The game is available for play on Microsoft Windows platforms. It has an ESRB rating of E for moments of mild violence and peril. Players take on the first-person view of fictional amateur sleuth Nancy Drew and must solve the mystery through interrogation of suspects, solving puzzles, and discovering clues. There are two levels of gameplay, Junior and Senior detective modes, each offering a different difficulty level of puzzles and hints, however neither of these changes affect the actual plot of the game. The game is loosely based on a book entitled Mystery Train.

Curse of Blackmoor Manor is the 11th game in the Nancy Drew point-and-click adventure game series by Her Interactive. The game is available for play on Microsoft Windows platforms as well as on DVD, Steam, and GOG.com released a digital version on their site. It has an ESRB rating of E for moments of mild violence and peril. Players take on the first-person view of fictional amateur sleuth Nancy Drew and must solve the mystery through interrogation of suspects, solving puzzles, and discovering clues. There are two levels of gameplay, Junior and Senior detective modes, each offering a different difficulty level of puzzles and hints, however neither of these changes affect the actual plot of the game. The game is loosely based on a book entitled The Bluebeard Room (1985).

Secret of the Scarlet Hand is the sixth installment in the Nancy Drew point-and-click adventure game series by Her Interactive. The game is available for play on Microsoft Windows platforms. It has an ESRB rating of E for moments of mild violence and peril. Players take on the first-person view of fictional amateur sleuth Nancy Drew and must solve the mystery through interrogation of suspects, solving puzzles, and discovering clues. There are two levels of gameplay, including a Junior and Senior detective mode. Each mode offers a different difficulty level of puzzles and hints, but neither of these changes affect the actual plot of the game. The game is loosely based on a book of the same name The Secret of the Scarlet Hand (1995).

The Secret of Shadow Ranch is the tenth installment in the Nancy Drew point-and-click adventure game series by Her Interactive. The game is available for play on Microsoft Windows platforms. It has an ESRB rating of E for moments of mild violence and peril. Players take on the first-person view of fictional amateur sleuth Nancy Drew and must solve the mystery through interrogation of suspects, solving puzzles, and discovering clues. There are two levels of gameplay, Junior and Senior detective modes, each offering a different difficulty level of puzzles and hints, however neither of these changes affect the actual plot of the game. The game is based on the best-selling Nancy Drew book of all time, The Secret at Shadow Ranch (1931).

Danger by Design is the 14th installment in the Nancy Drew point-and-click adventure game series by Her Interactive. The game is available for play on Microsoft Windows platforms. It has an ESRB rating of E for moments of mild violence and peril. Players take on the first-person view of fictional amateur sleuth Nancy Drew and must solve the mystery through interrogation of suspects, solving puzzles, and discovering clues. There are two levels of gameplay, Junior and Senior detective modes, each offering a different difficulty level of puzzles and hints, however neither of these changes affect the actual plot of the game. The game is loosely based on a book entitled Death by Design (1988).

Message in a Haunted Mansion is the third installment in the Nancy Drew point-and-click adventure game series by Her Interactive. The game is available for play on Microsoft Windows platforms as well as Game Boy Advance. It has an ESRB rating of E for moments of mild violence and peril. Players take on the first-person view of fictional amateur sleuth Nancy Drew and must solve the mystery through interrogation of suspects, solving puzzles, and discovering clues. There are two levels of gameplay: Junior and Senior detective modes. Each mode offers a different difficulty level of puzzles and hints, but none of these changes affect the actual plot of the game. The game is loosely based on a book entitled The Message in the Haunted Mansion (1995).

Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake is the seventh installment in the Nancy Drew point-and-click adventure game series by Her Interactive. The game is available for play on Microsoft Windows platforms. It has an ESRB rating of E for moments of mild violence and peril. Players take on the first-person view of fictional amateur sleuth Nancy Drew and must solve the mystery through interrogation of suspects, solving puzzles, and discovering clues. There are two levels of gameplay, including a Junior and Senior detective mode. Each mode offers a different difficulty level of puzzles and hints, but neither of these changes affects the actual plot of the game. The game is loosely based on two books, Nancy Drew Ghost Stories: Ghost Dogs of Whispering Oaks (1989) and Mystery By Moonlight (2002).

Danger on Deception Island is the ninth installment in the Nancy Drew point-and-click adventure game series by Her Interactive. The game is available for play on Microsoft Windows platforms. It has an ESRB rating of E for moments of mild violence and peril. Players take on the first-person view of fictional amateur sleuth Nancy Drew and must solve the mystery through interrogation of suspects, solving puzzles, and discovering clues. There are two levels of gameplay, Junior and Senior detective modes, each offering a different difficulty level of puzzles and hints, however neither of these changes affect the actual plot of the game. The game is loosely based on a book entitled Whispers in the Fog (1999).

The Creature of Kapu Cave is the 15th installment in the Nancy Drew point-and-click adventure game series by Her Interactive. The game is available for play on Microsoft Windows platforms. It has an ESRB rating of E for moments of mild violence and peril. Players take on the first-person view of fictional amateur sleuth Nancy Drew and must solve the mystery through interrogation of suspects, solving puzzles, and discovering clues. There are two levels of gameplay, Junior and Senior detective modes, each offering a different difficulty level of puzzles and hints, however neither of these changes affect the actual plot of the game. The game is loosely based on a book entitled Mystery on Maui (1998).

The White Wolf of Icicle Creek is the 16th installment in the Nancy Drew point-and-click adventure game series by Her Interactive. The game is available for play on Microsoft Windows platforms as well as the Nintendo Wii. It has an ESRB rating of E, though the game does have a premise unlikely to be understood by children and it does have some moments of mild violence and references to alcoholic beverages. Players take on the first-person view of fictional amateur sleuth Nancy Drew and must solve the mystery through interrogation of suspects, solving puzzles, and discovering clues. There are two levels of gameplay, Junior and Senior detective modes, each offering a different difficulty level of puzzles and hints, however neither of these changes affect the actual plot of the game. The game is loosely based on a book entitled The Mystery of the Mother Wolf (2000).

Nancy Drew: Legend of the Crystal Skull is the 17th installment in the Nancy Drew point-and-click adventure game series by Her Interactive. It is available for play on Microsoft Windows platforms. It has an ESRB rating of E for moments of mild violence and peril. Players take on the first-person view of fictional amateur sleuth Nancy Drew and must solve the mystery through interrogation of suspects, solving puzzles, and discovering clues. There are two levels of gameplay, Junior and Senior detective modes, each offering a different difficulty level of puzzles and hints, however neither of these changes affect the actual plot of the game. The game is loosely based on a book entitled The Mardi Gras Mystery (1988).

Shadow at the Water's Edge is the 23rd installment in the Nancy Drew point-and-click adventure game series by Her Interactive. The game is available for play on Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X platforms. It has an ESRB rating of E10+ for moments of mild violence and disturbing imagery. Players take on the first-person view of fictional amateur sleuth Nancy Drew and must solve the mystery through interrogation of suspects, solving puzzles, and discovering clues. There are two levels of gameplay, Junior and Senior detective modes, each offering a different difficulty level of puzzles and hints, however neither of these changes affect the actual plot of the game. The game is loosely based on two books, Tour of Danger (1992) and The Thirteenth Pearl (1979).

Nancy Drew: The Deadly Device is the 27th installment in the Nancy Drew point-and-click adventure game series by Her Interactive. The game is available for play on Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X platforms. It has an ESRB rating of E10+ for moments of mild violence. Players take on the first-person view of fictional amateur sleuth Nancy Drew and must solve the mystery through interrogation of suspects, solving puzzles and discovering clues. There are two levels of gameplay, Amateur and Master sleuth modes, each offering a different difficulty level of puzzles and hints, however neither of these changes affect the actual plot of the game. The game is loosely based on two books, The Crime Lab Case (2000) and In and Out of Love (1997).

The Silent Spy is the 29th installment in the Nancy Drew point-and-click adventure game series by Her Interactive. The game is available for play on Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X platforms. It has an ESRB rating of E for moments of mild violence and peril. Players take on the first-person view of fictional amateur sleuth Nancy Drew and must solve the mystery through interrogation of suspects, solving puzzles, and discovering clues. There are two levels of gameplay, Amateur and Master sleuth modes, each offering a different difficulty level of puzzles and hints, however neither of these changes affect the actual plot of the game. The game is loosely based on a book entitled The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes (1964).

<i>Nancy Drew: The Shattered Medallion</i> 2014 video game

The Shattered Medallion is the 30th installment in the Nancy Drew point-and-click adventure game series by Her Interactive. The game is available for play on Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X platforms. It has an ESRB rating of E for moments of mild violence. Players take on the first-person view of fictional amateur sleuth Nancy Drew and must solve the mystery through interrogation of suspects, solving puzzles, and discovering clues. There are two levels of gameplay, Amateur and Master sleuth modes, each offering a different difficulty level of puzzles and hints, however neither of these changes affect the actual plot of the game. The game is loosely based on a book entitled Real Fake (2007).

<i>Nancy Drew: Sea of Darkness</i> 2015 video game

Sea of Darkness is the 32nd installment in the Nancy Drew point-and-click adventure game series by Her Interactive. Players take on the first-person view of fictional amateur sleuth Nancy Drew and must solve the mystery through interrogation of suspects, solving puzzles, and discovering clues. There are two levels of gameplay, Amateur and Master sleuth modes, each offering a different difficulty level of puzzles and hints, however neither of these changes affect the actual plot of the game. It is the last game to feature Lani Minella as the voice of Nancy Drew, and is also the last game to use Her Interactive's proprietary game engine. The next game, Midnight in Salem, uses Unity.

References

↑ , Secret of the Old Clock Teaser Trailer
↑ "Nancy Drew Secret of the Old Clock | Girl Games Online". Her Interactive. Archived from the original on July 29, 2013. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
↑ "Nancy Drew Secret of the Old Clock IMDb". IMDb .
↑ "Nancy Drew: Secret of the Old Clock (pc: 2005): Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on July 26, 2007.
↑ Herold, Charles (August 13, 2005). "Game Theory: Spunky Young Heroines in Sensible Outfits". The New York Times . Archived from the original on May 29, 2015.

Preceded by Nancy Drew: Curse of Blackmoor Manor	Nancy Drew Computer Games	Succeeded by Nancy Drew: Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon

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[1] , Secret of the Old Clock Teaser Trailer

[2] "Nancy Drew Secret of the Old Clock | Girl Games Online". Her Interactive. Archived from the original on July 29, 2013. Retrieved June 14, 2013.

[3] "Nancy Drew Secret of the Old Clock IMDb". IMDb .

[mc-4] "Nancy Drew: Secret of the Old Clock (pc: 2005): Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on July 26, 2007.

[nyt-5] Herold, Charles (August 13, 2005). "Game Theory: Spunky Young Heroines in Sensible Outfits". The New York Times . Archived from the original on May 29, 2015.

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