Nancy Drew: The Final Scene (PC)

Fire up The Final Scene and you're greeted with the most gripping opening sequence yet in a Nancy Drew game. As the ageless, mystery-cracking heroine, you accompany your friend Maya to a historic but dilapidated theatre to interview teen heart-throb Brady Armstrong for the opening of his new movie. As Maya disappears into the dressing room for the interview, you hear a scream, but when you charge in to investigate Maya is nowhere to be found. Do you have what it takes to track down Maya's kidnapper before the theatre is demolished?

The most notable improvement in the game comes in the form of the distinctive characters. With each new Nancy Drew game, the script and character work get better. The dialogue here has a youthfulness and sense of humour missing from the previous games. The old-theatre setting and the game's theme of magic are admirable, but it would be good if there were more nooks and crannies to explore.

A minor nitpick is that the time-frame seems somewhat limiting. Previous Nancy Drew games had an open feel with no sense of urgency and you solved the mystery in your own time. In The Final Scene, the gameplay is divided into three days and you must accomplish specific tasks before you can move on to the next day. Though this structure lends itself well to the game's plot, it's easy to get stuck on one clue. However, you can always look for help on the message boards at Her Interactive's Web site.

Little grumblings aside, The Final Scene really is a fabulous game that goes above and beyond most games out there right now. It's highly recommended for anyone aged 10 or over. --Ara Jane Olufson