There was a time, before Harry Potter, when kids throughout the world gobbled up the novels of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. Only one of those crime-solving adventure works has made a successful transition to the world of cyberspace gaming.

HER Interactive was a small publisher of Nancy Drew mysteries. DreamCatcher successful bought the company and has now expanded the appeal of the Nancy Drew genre. The recent release of Nancy Drew: Message in a Haunted Mansion is typical of the PC-format games, but putting this vehicle into the Game Boy Advance format.

In the PC format, Nancy – through no fault of her own – found herself in circumstances where mystery was afoot. It was up to the intrepid teen-age detective to riddle through the false clues, find the items which lead the chase for solution onward, and find a solution to the current troubles.

So how does this translate to the Game Boy Advance? Incredibly well.

Let’s begin with the storyline:

Nancy is visiting a friend in a Victorian mansion in San Francisco. But accidents have been taking place that are out of the ordinary. Is the house haunted? Nancy must traverse the mansion, solving puzzles, deciphering clues and solve the mystery of what is behind these strange turns of events.

The game is laid out in chapter format, and if you have ever read a Carolyn Keene book, you will recognize the format. There are seven chapters in this story, beginning with a mysterious message from the past. Nancy wanders through the mansion, uncovering clues, reading secret message, and unraveling puzzles until she finally solves the secrets of the mansion.

Kudos must be given to both DreamCatcher and HER Interactive. The latter has published several Nancy Drew mysteries for the PC; the former has successfully translated the feel and look of the games into the GBA format.

Players take on the role of Nancy, exploring the pseudo 3D environments of the mansion, talking to character there and gathering clues. You will wander through rooms, down halls, journey from floor-to-floor and if the survey of a room or hall indicates something of importance, you will know it.

This is not a game about reflexive ability, but more a game about cerebral ability. And in that regard, this program is fascinating.

The controls are fairly easy to master. The R and L buttons move Nancy in those directions; the D-pad controls where you are looking; the A button is for action and the B button moves Nancy back a step.

Graphically, this game does a very competent job of emulating the PC games. The environments, while not completely interactive, still manage to reveal clues necessary to solve the case. They are very well rendered. Sound is merely average for a GBA release.

If you are up for a first-class mystery, without the spoils of action game play, this is the type of game that you will enjoy.

Nancy Drew: Message in a Haunted Mansion is rated for Everyone.

Gameplay: 8
This is a linear game, asking players to collect clues and solve the overall mystery. You can save the game, and the game flow seems seamless.

Graphics: 8
This game is very close to the PC games which preceded it. The environments emulate a 3D feel, and are wonderfully rendered.

Sound: 6.5
Nothing special here – these elements are merely average for this system.

Difficulty: 7.5
The controls are very easy to grasp, and the difficulty level will allow anyone – save from 8 and up – to work through the levels. This game is built on the idea of allowing players to succeed, but you will have to work at it.

Concept: 8
This game has made a wonderful transition from the PC to this hand-held console.

Overall: 8
The whole idea behind the HER Interactive series of games was to provide a format for girls to experience the joys of Nancy Drew while developing problem-solving abilities. What has since happened is that the games have a broad appeal to any fan of mysteries. This game is no exception. With solid graphical elements and a first-rate exploration mystery game, this title is perfect for GBA fans that want to exercise mental muscles.