The Nancy Drew Dossier series debuted last year as a new venture from Her Interactive, who has been releasing Nancy Drew adventure games for several years now. The first Dossier game, Lights, Cameras, Curses!, featured a mix of hidden object gameplay with adventure elements, for a highly interactive casual type of game. Resorting to Danger is the second release of the series and continues in much the same manner.

Nancy Drew has been invited to The Redondo Spa in order to investigate a number of fake "bombs" that have been planted there, evidently in order to disrupt the Spa's business. These bombs aren't serious and are only annoying explosions of messy materials, but they are still a hindrance to the smooth running of the vacation spa for the rich and famous. In order to solve the mystery, Nancy is asked to pose as a general assistant.

As in most typical hidden object games, the main goal is to search the rooms and find items on a list. Many hidden object games also incorporate other types of gameplay into the main theme, but Nancy Drew takes this approach and really improves on it, with a tightly integrated mixture of mini-games, logical thinking and a clever use of combining the hidden objects to solve puzzles and advance the game.

As Nancy trots back and forth through the rooms of the spa carrying out quests for the eccentric guests, she encounters many clues that she needs in order to find and defuse the bombs. These clues are in the form of hidden objects that usually need to be used on other items, or combined to elicit another clue. Periodically, these clues will open up a mini-game, which will need to be played successfully in order to move to the next clue.

The mini-games in Lights, Camera, Curses were engaging, but often didn't really seem tied very strongly to the game. In Resorting to Danger, there is much more of a connection to the story, and the mini-games are more developed and challenging. Several of the mini-games are quite fun, like a mix-and-match tile game, a swap-the-marbles type of game, a water-pipe game and a thought-provoking facial game, where players need to plan the sequence of make-up applications to a face. There are also a few trivia-type matching games.

There is a conversational dialog feature, where Nancy has to select the correct response from a list. This is reminiscent of adventure games, but isn't nearly as well-developed as in most adventure games. The wrong answers are obvious and elicit nonsense replies from the guests, until the correct answer is chosen. The wrong choices aren't even funny, as in Monkey Island. There just doesn't seem a point to this feature.

The interface is easy to use and understand. When a player clicks on an object, it will either instantly be activated and used automatically, or stay highlighted until the correct matching item is also clicked. The actions are presented as icons in the bottom menu, and are not directly linked to the mouse.

Nancy Drew Dossier Resorting to Danger is an excellent example of a quality casual game. The game is engaging, but also fairly easy to play. The puzzles that are hidden objects are really easy, even with the added component of having to find a series of objects and use them together. The mini-games are more difficult, and add a needed element of challenging gameplay. All of the games and puzzles are logically connected to the story line and are not obvious filler material.

Her Interactive has definitely made a strong entry into the casual game market, and if they adhere to this same formula, are sure to be successful. A good choice for any casual game fan, and also for families. 

Gameplay: 8.0
It's all about having fun with a quick pick-up-and-play experience in the world of casual gaming, and this game fits the bill. The variety of puzzles and types of hidden objects is enough to keep interest, and the difficulty level is just right for a casual game. And, if someone does get stuck, there is a hint system in place.

Graphics: 8.0
The graphics are pretty much the same type of quality as in previous Nancy Drew games, which is to say, good.

Sound: 8.0
The music is pretty cool, and the sound effects are decent.

Difficulty: Medium
The hidden object searches are very easy, as everything lights up with sparkles. They are made a bit harder by requiring players to combine them in certain ways, but there are enough clues in the descriptions and task lists to still keep it all fairly simple. The mini-games are more difficult and a few of the trivia type puzzles may have a few players guessing, but most people will know the answers.

Concept: 7.0
The hidden object field is plenty crowded, but the Nancy Drew Dossier has managed to find a type of niche within this genre. Combining a detective style approach to the hidden object searches within the world of Nancy Drew is highly effective. The design of the mini-games, and the interactive qualities of the game as a whole, is above average.

Overall: 8.0
With a second game released, the Nancy Drew Dossier series looks set to be around for awhile. Any fan of casual games is sure to enjoy playing, and the price is exactly right for this type of game. Everyone in the family can have a good time at the Redondo Spa!