I found the game enjoyable. The map certainly makes it easy to determine where to go to make progress. I probably used it more than I should have. The puzzles were entertaining. My one criticism is that the HO scenes seemed to be a bit "muddy".
This was a nice long game. The story line is good (mom looking for her lost son). The puzzles were fun and not all that difficult, though I did use skip twice. There is no map so be prepared to do a lot of walking. The hint button is only for HOS so if you play at the advance level, like I did, there are no sparkles to give you hints on where to go next, thus, you can spend some time walking and poking around. I actually liked that; there was such a sense of "ah ha!' when you find the next HOS to advance your inventory.
The HOS scenes are clear, no dark corners. There were a few times when the item listed was not quite what was pictured (racket vs. paddle) but if you realize most game developers don't speak English these days, and are prepared, you can generally figure out which item would apply.
I played this game in one long session. I was home sick. It gave me a pleasant time. The puzzles and HOS are not all that difficult, so if you like a real challenge this is not for you. The story line is clear, the map is helpful, the graphics are good, the sound is not obtrusive. It's a good game.
I bought 4 Mystery Tracker games as part of a promotion. I believe this game is the first in the series. II thoroughly enjoyed it. The game length is great. The mini games are fun. There is no map so you do a bit of walking around, but I don't mind that. The entire series is excellent.
I really loved this game. The game length was nice and long, and since I got the CE I even had more game to play at the end as a bonus. The mini-puzzles are fun, some of them quite unique. The map feature was very helpful in determining where to go next without giving too much away. Having embedded video was a nice feature. I bought this game as part of a Mystery Trackers set (on sale!) and think this is the best of the bunch.
For the first time in my life I will not finish a game I paid for. This was my first Nancy Drew game and to say it is my last is an understatement. The graphics are amateurish, without any real level of detail. The sound quality is OK. But what I hate is the stupid mini game relating to getting vegetables from the garden. The graphics are so poor that there is almost no way to determine which items you need to select. And if you select wrong you get kicked out of the game (sent home). If you select insufficient items you are told to go back and try again. So you have to keep trying and heaven forbid you pick one item wrong. God save me from ever getting a game of this type again.
I found the HOG scenes fun and challenging and I too liked the fact you are assembling a needed item rather than just hunting for miscellaneous ones. The hint feature is new and adds a bit of a challenge. When you drop an inventory item on the hint "eye" you get a "vision" of where to use it. But the vision is limited so you have to remember where things are. The map is useful but only shows where the next HOG (or HOGs) are located. As noted, you have to use the hint eye if you want help with inventory items. The length was great. I enjoyed the story line, even though I figured the main ideas out about 1/3 of the way through. Thank you Blue Tea for a great time!
I've seen some reviewers didn't like the game because of its extensive puzzles but for me that is what makes a game fun. I prefer puzzles over HO screens any day. I would have liked a map but the hint feature certainly made it clear where to go and what to look at. I like the fact that it did not actually tell you what to do, too specific a hint can ruin the game. The story line was clear, the graphics good and the length was great.