Let's start on a positive note. The Nancy Drew series has some of my favourite games among its installments. I love the replay ability and the (somewhat minor) challenge brought by the puzzles. I still enjoy the games to this day, though my opinion of them has become slightly less favourable over the years. Despite that degradation, however, I was- and still am excited- to hear of new installments coming out. I was, however, less excited to hear of a GBA port for the third game, Message In A Haunted Mansion. The reason for my lack of enthusiasm was that HER interactive (the guys who make the games) already released a port that I actually played before I played this game. That port was a Wii port of the sixteenth game in the series, The White Wolf Of Icicle Creek. That game seemed really hastily done; there were plenty of bugs and the music, as well as the graphics were quite underwhelming. Back on track, when I heard of this port, I had VERY low expectations for it. When I did get the chance to play it, my predictions were confirmed, this game is an atrocity. Let's see why I think so lowly of this game.

Story: 2/10
The story is copied over from the original PC version of this game........ mostly. The teen aged amateur sleuth named Nancy Drew has gone to San Francisco to help out a friend of her maid, Hannah. The friend, Rose, has bought an old, reportedly haunted, mansion that she plans to turn into a Bed and Breakfast. Unfortunately, there have been several mysterious accidents during renovations that have slowed down construction. Residing in the mansion, Drew is tasked with finding who- or what is causing these accidents. She has numerous suspects, characters like Rose, a antiques dealer name Louis, a young man aiding in the renovation named Charlie , and a woman named Abby who believes the storey's of the mansion being haunted and thinks that ghosts are responsible for the accidents. Over the course of the game, Nancy will explore the mansion, uncovering both its history and clues as to what is causing the accidents, as well as getting wind of a treasure hidden somewhere in the mansion long ago.....

I give the story a 2 out of 10. In this port, the story was so heavily condensed that almost all of the interesting aspects were eliminated or heavily modified. The only novel aspect that remains is the fact that you're in a supposedly haunted mansion, which is pretty cool and scary.

Core Game play: 3/10
Nancy Drew is tasked with collecting sufficient evidence to indict one of the people mentioned above with attempting to stop the renovation. The sleuth has an entire mansion to scour, and she must search not just in places like the hallways and main rooms, but hidden areas like hidden corridors and the concealed attic. The game is a point-and-click. Basically, an arrow is displayed on screen, and you can use this arrow the move around, check cupboards, pick up stuff, e.T.c.. Some items that Nancy collects prove use full in advancing with the game, for example, I can pick up a crowbar and later I can use it to pry open a hatch. Of course, there are also a fair share of puzzles. Unfortunately, the puzzles in this port range from stupidly easy to easy, but that part's for the section wrap-up.

Controls: 9/10
There are all of two major controls in this game. Click to operate the arrow, which does almost everything, and a for the stuff that the arrow doesn't cover. That's pretty much it.

I give both aspects of the game play a 5 out of 10. The game play is so heavily condensed from the original PC version that it actually makes the game play worse. Parts of the map have been completely cut out, there are fewer puzzles, fewer side quests, and duller features. The good part, though, is that the controls are quite simple and easy to understand, so that's a small plus.

Graphics: 1/10
The graphics are just atrocious. Let's start with character models. They're lifeless, dull, and bland. Seriously, the characters will stare at you, motionless, with the same expression for all eternity- or at least until you stop talking to them. As for things like the mansion and all of the items in it, it's not much better. Walls, ceilings, and floors all have the same, bland, repetitive texture that looks like something a 2-year-old could throw together in MS paint in a few minutes. The items also have impossibly boring details that look less like details and more like copy/paste. There are also quite a few graphical glitches, as well. For example, flicker worse than any flicker you've ever seen before, and layers of "junk" that you can see whenever Nancy moves.

I give the graphics a 1 out of 10. The GBA is capable of producing graphics that are 1000 times better than the junk this game gives us. There is no excuse this game wouldn't at least look tolerable. None at all.

Music: 1/10
This is the worst soundtrack I've ever heard. What a positive start to this section, huh? There is only one song throughout the entire game. I'm not sure what the name of this song is, but I call it "goat and sheep massacre". That's what it sounds like! This monstrosity plays all the time, and as you play more and more of the game, you start to feel like tearing out your eardrums and devouring them so you can free yourself from the torture this song inflicts on them. A bonus? This song serves as the sound effects, as well. I'll leave it there. If you want to hear this song for yourself, play the game, though I should warn you, you're probably going to want to stick your head in a pot of boiling water to drown out the noise.

I give the music a 1 out of 10. Please, for the sake of your sanity, avoid listening to the song. Just don't listen, PLEASE.

Difficulty: 1/10
Point-and-click games really aren't known for their difficulty. The hardest it could get is a volley of QTE's that usually lasts less than a few seconds. This game, however, dumbs down the difficulty so much that a fetus could beat it without needing any help. The puzzles here are all short and easy. Not only that, the clues you need to get to solve these puzzles are almost always right out in the open, waiting for you to take note of them. When it comes to talking to other characters, they quickly spew out necessary info without much inquiry from them. Even if they do get suspicious, all you have to do is click on the right phrase, and their suspicion will immediately vanish. All in all, you can breeze past all of the puzzles and interrogations with little to stop you or impede you.

Depth: 1/10
There's are no Easter eggs in this game, nothing you can collect that doesn't tie in to the story, nothing of the like. As for the core game, all of the puzzles, interrogations, and explorations take up about an hour if you're fast. ONE HOUR. That is unacceptable for any game that was released after 1985. Even the most basic of mini game compilations for the GBA take longer to beat than this game.

Addictiveness: 1/10
Take a look at the other categories in this review. Take two looks if needed. Now that you've done that, think about this. Did I ever fully praise the game ANYWHERE? Did I ever call the game "decent" or "passable" in any section other than the controls? I did not. Now, ask yourself, do you think the game I would call this game addictive?

Overall: 1/10
Nancy Drew: Message in a Haunted Mansion is a port that had a great deal of potential. It could have had good music, good graphics, great game play, lots of depth, and a decent story. What we got instead is a miserable, pathetic excuse for a game that bombs in just about every aspect. Fans of the series should avoid it, as should any typical gamer, because this is a game that deserves all of the flaming anyone who has had the misfortune of playing it gives it.

Black Bot : Apparently, this game is terrible, and just making up positive features about it wouldn't make sense.

Thanks for the review. From the screenshots, I already had a feeling this couldn't be very good... ^^'