Secret of the Old Clock (video game)

Infobox VG| title = Nancy Drew: Secret of the Old Clock


developer = Her Interactive
publisher = DreamCatcher
designer =
released = July 19, 2005
genre = Adventure
modes = Single player
ratings = ESRB: Everyone (E)
platforms = PC
media =
requirements =
input =

"Secret of the Old Clock" is the twelfth installment of the Nancy Drew PC game series created by Her Interactive. The game was released in July 19, 2005. It puts the player in the shoes of the famous detective Nancy Drew. The object of the game is to solve the mystery by discovering clues, completing puzzles, and speaking with suspects. Secret of the Old Clock is based on a mixture of the first four books in the classic series and commemorates Nancy Drew's 75th anniversary. Set in the 1930s, the game attempts to create a feeling of authenticity by eliminating modern conveniences and allowing players to drive Nancy's famous blue roadster around the town.

Plot

The game is set in 1930, at the beginning of the Great Depression. Emily Crandall, a girl Nancy only knows through a friend, asks Nancy to come to Lilac Inn to see her. Her mother died a month ago, leaving her to run the inn with only the help of a guardian, Jane Willoughby. When Nancy arrives at the inn, she encounters a mystery involving stolen jewels, a missing will, car chases, and plenty of adventure.

Characters

Emily Crandall

Seventeen year-old Emily runs the Lilac Inn with the help of her guardian while quietly mourning the recent loss of her mother. She is plagued by strange occurrences - objects on the wall move, whispers call from the shadows, and things mysteriously disappear and then reappear, she says. Could she be just paranoid?------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Jane Willoughby

Gloria Crandall, Emily's mother, asked Jane to look after her daughter in case anything happened to her. She's doing the best to help Emily, but doesn't know much about raising kids or running an Inn. Is there anything that she's not telling? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Richard Topham

A self-proclaimed expert on ESP and Telekinesis, Richard Topham lives near the Lilac Inn, in a house that once belonged to Josiah Crowley. It now serves residence to the "School for the Study and Developemt of Paranormal Powers". Interestingly enough, Richard was the one to inherit Josiah's estate and money. Could he be a fake, trying to destroy Josiah Crowley's other will, if there is one?------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Jim Archer

Jim Archer is a good-natured but secretly desperate businessman who is trying to make it through the Depression. Although he's always smiling, the bank he owns is teetering on the brink of failure. Would he forge a will, or steal Emily's mother's jewels, just so that he could save his bank?------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Carson Drew

Carson Drew is Nancy's father and an unseen character. Like Bess and George, he can be called for hints and information.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Bess Marvin and George Fayne

This duo play a part in almost all of Nancy's mysteries. Nancy can call them for hints.

Accidents

*Falling off the bridge trying to catch the paper flying across the screen
*Being caught by Mr.Topham while trying to sneak/search his house
*Not tightening the bolts on the wheel of the car
*Not crashing the culprits car at the end

Cast

*Nancy Drew -- Lani Minella
*Carson Drew -- Dennis Regan
*Jane Willoughby -- Sarah Papineau
*Emily Crandall -- Walayn Sharples
*Richard Topham/Additional Voices -- Tim Moore
*Jim Archer -- Ben Laurance
*Mrs. O'Shea/Additional Voices -- Amy Broomhall
*Miss Jakowski/Additional Voices -- Megan Hill
*Mr. Phelps/Additional Voices -- Chris Spott
*Tubby Telegram Guy/Additional Voices -- Jonah von Spreecken
*Bess Marvin -- Alisa Murray
*George Fayne -- Patty Pomplun
*Uri the Cat -- Cory (Cat)

Trivia

*Many of the locations in Titusville are taken from film and books.
**Twin Elms is a mansion haunted by a so-called-ghost in the Nancy Drew book, "The Hidden Staircase".
**Seymour and Audrey who work at the nursery are names from "The Little Shop of Horrors".
**Bogart's Pond is named after the pond in Westwood, New Jersey.
**Miss Temple, Mr. Brocklehurst, Madame Pierrot and Miss Scatcher at the Lowood Academy are all found in "Jane Eyre".
**The names of the counselors at Camp Avondale are names of characters from the "Friday the 13th" movie.
**Dr. Aikerman, Margaret Judson, Mrs. Brownell and Betsy Howard at the Deer Mountain Resort are characters from the Nancy Drew novel, "The Haunted Bridge".
**The workers at Krolmeister Nail Factory, Phil Connor, Dede, Jurgis and Ona, are characters in Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle".
**The names of the characters at the library are people for whom the libraries at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Washington were named.
**The names of the characters at Sunnybrook Farm refer to characters from "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm".
**The character names at Vache's Dairy (vache is French for 'cow') are taken from George Orwell's novel, "Animal Farm".
**The company name "Krolmeister" turns up many times in future games.
*The girls at the railroad station and their friends are named after characters on the television show "Petticoat Junction"
*Emily has a record of the instrumental version of "Ballad of Brigitte" from Curse of Blackmoor Manor.
*If the player straightens the picture from Emily's room 10 times, it will talk.
*While walking down the stairs from Emily's room, the portrait of Edward Stratemeyer, the creator of Nancy Drew, is seen on the wall. This is probably shown because Secret of the Old Clock was the first Nancy Drew book written and it was one of the few actually written by Edward Stratemeyer.

External links

* [http://www.herinteractive.com/prod/clk/index.shtml The Secret of the Old Clock] by Her Interactive.