'Resorting to Danger!' a fun adventure

• By MILES THORPE
• 2theadvocate.com staff
• Published: Nov 4, 2009

• Print
• Email
• Save
• Reprints
• Twitter
• Share

• Del.icio.us
• Digg
• Facebook
• Reddit
• 

The latest spin-off casual adventure game in the “Nancy Drew Dossier” franchise found its way onto my desk, “Resorting to Danger!” I wasn’t sure what to make of the game at first but was surprised that it boasts a fair amount of adventure fun.

You play as Nancy Drew, of course, who is asked to help investigate construction accidents at a fancy and secluded spa. These accidents turn out to be various bombs that plague the resort and you must help discover and diffuse them.

The game is simplistic in its design and has you move your cursor around the various game screens looking for clues. There is a glittery twinkle effect under the cursor to help you find points of interest in each room. You can combine items you find in the room as well as manipulate some things like cabinets, buttons or shaking bathrobes to help piece together clues to continue your investigation.

Each room has a certain number of clues you need to find in order to proceed. Once found you generally have to combine them or complete a task with them to finish the room and get your next clue to continue. The game tracks the clues you find and if at any time you get stumped, you can click the clue counter on the bottom of the screen for a helpful hint as to what to do next.

The graphics are good with a bright color palette and a distinctive cartoon style. Some of the rooms and areas are well-detailed and are well-done. However, there were a few rooms, like the furnace room, that I thought didn’t keep with the high detail of the other rooms.

All of the dialogue in the game is spoken, and surprisingly all of it is well-done. From the grumpy and busy manager to the carefree receptionist, all of the voices match and flow without sounding like a reading session.

The game is very casual, easy to get into, and easy to save and quit when needed. It isn’t as long as a typical “Nancy Drew” game, but that’s the point of the “Dossier” line of games. They are meant to be short, fun adventure games, and “Resorting to Danger!” is exactly that.