Nancy Drew novels are timeless classics. I have personal memories of reading these books, and having a tremendously hard time putting them down! I'll just read one more chapter, I used to lie to myself over and over again. This CD-ROM set is similarly addictive and absorbing!

This title follows the excellent Nancy Drew Secrets Can Kill (see our review) released in 1998. Kudos to Her Interactive for developing such a much-needed software title aimed at preteens and teenage girls. Stay Tuned for Danger was created in partnership with an advisory of teenage girls, and it shows! The characters, mood, and story line are all compelling.

Players must solve the mystery by piecing together information from clues, puzzles they must solve, and conversations with characters. Players must choose the questions Nancy asks each character, adding to the interactivity. Investigation is the key, and players need to snoop in dressing rooms, eavesdrop on conversations, and more, in order to find all the clues. When players get stuck, they can phone Nancy's friends for hints and clues.

There are 3 challenge levels to choose from: Junior, Senior, or Master Detective. This Spy IQ determines the level of challenge of the puzzles and hints, as well as the amount of time given to make decisions.

Be prepared to start the game all over again when something goes wrong! For example, pulling the fire alarm when there is no fire results in the arrest of Nancy Drew. Fortunately, players are given a second chance.

Throughout this mystery adventure there are puzzles and codes to solve. Players should have a pencil and notepad handy, and they will definitely need to use them! In fact, the software comes with a clue notepad and a detective handbook.

This is the kind of game in which collaboration has great pay-offs. Although it can be played alone, it is quite challenging -- even more so than the first title in the series. The artwork in this programise nothing short of outstanding. The 360 degree, 3D environments are rich and detailed, and the characters are 3D models (instead of 2D in the first CD-ROM).

While the first Nancy Drew mystery was a 2-CD set, this game is contained on one CD-ROM, eliminating the need for disk-swapping.

Technically Speaking
Minimum requirements are Windows 95/98, a Pentium 166 processor, 16 Mb RAM, and 8X CD ROM. It requires a minimum of 130 Mb of hard drive space for the minimum install option (the recommended install requires a large chunk of hard drive space - 230 Mb).

Skills Covered
problem solving, deductive reasoning, puzzles, interactive computer skills.

Educational Value
Although designed mainly for entertainment purposes, this program will get players thinking logically and solving problems.

Entertainment Value
Any pre-teen or teenager who enjoys a good mystery will find this program enjoyable and pleasantly addictive.

Design
This game is easy to navigate. The cursor is a magnifying glass that turns blue when the screen can scroll in the direction it is pointing, and it turns red when there is a "clickable". There are many options available involving voice, music, and characeter speech, as well as closed captioning options.

Replayability
Players will likely spend quite a bit of time to solve the entire mystery, and most will be sufficiently motivated to complete it.

Dollar Value
This game retails for $29.95 US. We consider it very valuable not only because there are few games on the market for its target audience, but also because it happens to be excellent.