What could be better than an all-expense paid vacation in the Bahamas with Bess and George? But when Bess is kidnapped and held for ransom, it's up to you, as Nancy Drew, to discover the treasures of the sunken "Seven Virtues" fleet and find the missing artifact that the kidnappers are demanding in exchange for Bess. Team up with George to sail through the perilous waters of this mystery and defeat the dastardly villain!
Immerse yourself in the Bahamas
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Quest for a lost treasure
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 Story Your friend Bess Marvin is kidnapped and the only chance you have to save her is by solving a 300-year-old Bahamian mystery! Dangerous waters keep treasure hunters from exploring the reefs around Dread Isle, but this remote island might hide the riches of El Toro's lost fleet! Can you, as Nancy Drew, track down the treasure before time runs out? Key Game Features: - Play as Nancy Drew and George—see her best friends, George Fayne and Bess Marvin, for the first time.
- Immerse yourself in the Bahamas diving, sailing, and interacting with island wildlife.
- Quest for a lost treasure—decrypt a riddle book, unlock treasure chests, and explore underwater shipwrecks.
- Play mini-games with the monkeys at the research center to earn fun prizes.
- Take risks without starting over – the game will automatically return the player to the point before the fatal mistake.
- Choose from two difficulty settings (Jr. or Sr. Detective) to allow players of all skill levels to solve the mystery.
|  | PC Requirements: - 1 GHz or greater Pentium or equivalent class CPU,
- 256 MB of RAM,
- 1 GB or more of hard drive space,
- 32 MB DirectX 9.0 compatible video card,
- 16 bit DirectX compatible sound card,
- 24X CD-ROM drive, mouse, and speakers
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 Awesome Game! |
| Review Date: September 13, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Kathleen A. Cleland, Michigan |
| The nancy Drew pc game, as always, is challenging, thought provoking and a good experience in challenging your detective skills. Great buy! |
Ransom of the Seven Ships
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| Review Date: October 28, 2009 |
| Reviewer: M. Miracle, Ohio |
| A lot of the game had the same concepts used in previous Nancy Drew games and was somewhat easy like driving the car, climbing the mountain, boating, questioning people, feeding and getting hints from the parrot, searching for hidden clues, and connecting/placing items in order. The scenery is realistic and colorful and has you searching for clues outdoors which is enjoyable especially on a tropical island. This game strategy was well planned and very entertaining. |
Fun setting
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| Review Date: February 5, 2010 |
| Reviewer: GB, Arlington, VA |
I used to play these games with my daughter, but now that she's 11, she plays by herself! We always liked Nancy's friends Bess & George, and in this game you can switch between "being Nancy," to "being George." The setting is beachy, and you can get in a golf cart and drive around. The monkeys are really, really funny....
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Intriguing Mystery And A Quest For Treasure Awaits On Dread Isle!
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| Review Date: July 14, 2009 |
| Reviewer: A. Gooding, |
Nancy Drew 20: Ransom Of The Seven Ships
-Before I Begin...
My review will be spilt up into sections and have a in-depth look at that topic. If you hate reading medium/long reviews or just don't have the patience I would not continue reading, but if you want to learn the most about the product before you buy it you'll continue.
-Interface
The game uses a point-and-click interface (meaning you click in a direction to move from environment to environment), which is easy to use and has been the preferred way for all nineteen games. On the bottom of the screen are the inventory, checklist, notebook, Walkie-Talkie Radio (new icon for this game), save, load, settings, and exit icons. The Walkie-Talkie Radio can be used to call George, and become her. I like this interface and I find it easy to use and the "Second Chance" option is great because you don't have to restart the whole game if you don't want to.
*****
-Plot
Bess Marvin has won a vacation on the exclusive Dread Isle, and brings Nancy and her cousin George Fayne with her. Nancy arrives a day later to find that Bess has been kidnapped! The kidnapper(s) want you, Nancy, to find the treasure of El Toro and exchange it for Bess. This plot is pretty straightforward in this game, but as you dig deeper into the mystery you learn more about El Toro and The Seven Virtues fleet that sank near Dread Isle. It's a pretty fascinating story of how the treasure came to be on the Isle, as it adds to the suspense of saving Bess.
*****
-Characters
One of the most interesting things about this game is that there is very few characters (human ones at least). There is Bess (whom you don't see for a majority of the gameplay), George, and Johnny Rolle. George Fayne is Bess Marvin's cousin who is rather athletic and strong-willed. Johnny Rolle is a very stand-offish character who does not reveal much about himself except that he likes to "fish and to be alone". Apparently he is from Jamaica, but this character is very suspicious. In the Shark Diving Eco-tourism Resort you meet the talkative CouCou, an amazon parrot who happens to be the granddaughter of LouLou (a parrot from Nancy Drew 12: Curse Of Blackmoor Manor). When you give her a guava she'll do a trick or give you a hint. She's quite a funny bird, but obviously not kidnapper material. On the other side of the island you meet the Vervet Monkeys who may seem cute, but are actually little thieves. If you play games with them you can get prizes like guava fruit or important items to solve the mystery. Finally there is the Gibsons who own the resort, but have disappeared somewhere while deep sea fishing. Are they on the island still or do the Gibsons even exist? The island is rather desolate, and there is little character interaction, but that's how it's supposed to feel according to Her Interactive. You are literally stranded on the island with George and Johnny. Switching to George in the game is rather lackluster, she seems intent on staying in the lobby most of the time. But when Bess is needed by Nancy, her perspective becomes very enjoyable. I like all the characters in this game but it almost seems too desolate. I would have liked to have one more "suspect" character and more interaction with Johnny Rolle.
****
-Setting & Graphics
Dread Isle is simply magnificent! The palm trees, beaches and crystal blue water are all incredibly lifelike. The graphics are top notch in this game, very sunny and realistic. Dread Isle itself is a pretty sizeable island. There is a lot places to explore underground, above ground, in the water, underwater, etc. It's easy to get lost though on the cart paths leading to specific locations, so be sure to keep a map of the isle in hand. I simply loved the setting of this game, it was bright and exciting as well as eerie because of the lurking kidnapper(s). But I didn't like the fact that this whole adventure happens in one day, I think it would have been more realistic if they had a bedroom for Nancy to sleep in and change the time (the last time a game in this series had this feature was 4 games ago in Nancy Drew 16: White Wolf Of Icicle Creek). Also the exploring is rather limited. Sure there are plenty of places to go to, but you cannot look under every rock or snoop for that matter. It leaves something to be desired. Other than those little details, the setting & graphics are flawless! As for the background music, it was completely beautiful! The tunes would be cheery, suspenseful, and appropriate. When you were playing with the monkeys the music was bouncy and happy, and when you are rescuing Nancy after she gets trapped in a bat cave the music is fast and suspenseful. Overall being on Dread Isle was a realistic and enjoyable experience. With that said, more exploration would have been awesome.
****
-Puzzles/Activities
The puzzles in this game were awesome. The puzzles are difficult throughout, like decoding a journal, scuba diving, finishing a timed puzzle or two, and others. But like a lot of games in this series, there are plenty of mini-games to relax yourself with. You can play these mini-games with the tricky monkeys. Every time you win a mini-game you get rewarded. I found myself playing these mini-games over and over because they were so fun and you get a lot of weird prizes. I enjoyed all of these puzzles because they made perfect sense in the plot and weren't just randomly thrown in as "filler puzzles". One of the major activities is traveling on and around the island. You can sail, scuba dive, and drive a golf cart. Sailing is rather tricky but fun once you get the hang of it. One thing I didn't like was being able to see Nancy or George in third person view. When you are "metal detecting" in the sand you see Nancy (don't worry its more of the figure of Nancy, not a full on view) from above moving around in whichever direction you please. I felt that it takes away from the "I'm Nancy Drew" feeling. I personally like looking through Nancy's eyes only, not looking down at her. Another thing that is slightly disappointing is being able to "snoop". There is plenty to explore but you can't overturn every rock or touch everything. And you never get to snoop through the Gibsons' or Johnny's stuff. These minor quibbles aside, the puzzles are enthralling and really fun.
****
-Ending
I absolutely loved the ending of this game, it was perfectly organized and came at the right moment in the game. The ending is kind of a two part deal, first you find the treasure, then you find/save Bess. And don't worry about being disappointed "culprit-wise" because you certainly won't. The ending(s) was certainly difficult but you are not timed or rushed at all luckily. The explanation/resolution at the end was also well explained and didn't leave any loose ends.
*****
-Overall
I thoroughly enjoyed this game in its entirety! It was challenging, fun and suspenseful. Everything about it was so well thought out and exciting. It is definitely one of my favorite games in the series. At first I was worried when I heard that there was few suspects, but it really didn't affect the game at all. My advice is to remind yourself that this is a deserted island, and there is plenty of suspects even if they are not seen. One other minor dissappointment is the lack of total exploration. I would have loved to snoop around more and explore each loaction thoroughly. Her Interactive put a lot of effort into this game and it really shone through. I would recommend this game to avid Nancy Drew fans. If your new to Nancy Drew, then this isn't a good first game for you because the puzzles are extremely difficult. But if this is your first Nancy Drew game then I would reccommend a walkthrough or hints & tips. If you played Nancy Drew 19: Haunting Of Castle Malloy, do not be discouraged! This game is 100x better than the lackluster HAU. I got a lot of hours of playtime in this game and it is totally worth $20. This game is on my favorites list for sure. The next game coming in the fall is called Warnings of Waverly Academy, I can't wait!
Add all these up and divide by 6...
5 *'s (Interface)
5 *'s (Plot)
4 *'s (Characters)
4 *'s (Setting & Graphics)
4 *'s (Puzzles/Activites)
5 *'s (Ending)
= 26 Stars Divide By 6 (Categories) = 4.5 = Rounded to 5 Stars
-Recommended Games
The Phantom Of Venice (See my review of this game)
Danger On Deception Island
Last Train To Blue Moon Canyon (See my review of this game)
The Secret Of Shadow Ranch
Thanks for reading my review!
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FUN!
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| Review Date: July 27, 2009 |
| Reviewer: , |
| I LOVE this game!!! I had some issues toward the end, but i figured it out quickly. The game has a twist but is fun to play. You can play with monkeys and drive a golf cart. If you played Curse at Blackmoor Manor, then you know LouLou. Her grandchild is in Ransom of the Seven ships. I call it ROSS! I would recomend this game to anyone who LOVES adventure!! |
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