In spite of this astounding speed and productivity, Her Interactive has obviously found a formula that works, and works well. The graphics in Danger By Design are very nice....if a little, well, formulaic. There are very few cut scenes, and little in the way of graphic innovation. But the locations are adequately detailed, if not noteworthily so. There are certainly no glitches or degradations anywhere in the graphic performance of the game, and that alone merits high marks. Danger By Design offers little in the area of spectacle, but it is a point-and-click, first-person adventure, and in that regard it is a solid game.
The music was designed by Kevin Manthei Music, and it is unobtrusive and pleasant. There are no profoundly annoying loops in the music, and on the whole, the mood of the melodies matches well with the content of the game.
Sound and effects were designed by Clatter and Din and Bill Corkery Productions, and in the main was adequate - pages turning sound richly like pages turning, Metro train noise sounds like a busy train. Especially fun is the decoder sound, which is mapped to the player's keyboard to make all the noises of a typewriter. On one point, however, I must dwell: in the photography darkroom puzzle, Nancy must develop photos entirely in the dark. If she spills something, the chemicals explode. This explosion sound is altogether too loud - I almost rattled a woofer getting through that puzzle. And, I have to point out that NPC French accents are at moments very silly. But these are generally exceptions; on the whole, the sound provided a good auditory experience.
Lani Minella, the voice of Nancy Drew for several of the titles including Danger By Design, merits a special mention here. She turns in a lively, realistic, and enjoyable performance as the plucky, young, intelligent Nancy Drew.
