Girl Scouts

Software that attempts to appeal to girls takes many different tacks. Some entice girls with makeup or clothes, but others appeal to girls because they feature capable females in key roles. Two recent titles, “Nancy Drew: Message in a Haunted Mansion” and “Dear America: Friend to Friend,” are noteworthy because they allow girls to interact with strong, courageous female characters.

‘Nancy Drew: Message in a Haunted Mansion’

In this role-playing title for preteens and teenagers, players become super-sleuth Nancy Drew. Nancy is visiting a friend who is remodeling a Victorian mansion and tries to find out what lies behind a series of unexplained happenings--including accidents, gas leaks, weird noises and scary notes.

Girls sleuth as Nancy by moving from room to room in the mansion, seeing everything from her perspective. As players search a room, they can use an on-screen magnifying glass to uncover clues. Girl gumshoes also can interview people, open doors, solve mini-puzzles and pick up useful objects such as books or letters, keys, crowbars and scrapers. Most of the nonplayer characters seem to behave suspiciously.

The mystery is further enhanced by an eerie soundtrack and wonderfully detailed graphics. Players eavesdrop on arguments, tingle at ghostly moans and feel the suspense grow as they listen to the sounds in each room. The attention to detail in each room and hallway helps add a sense of realism to this cyber-mystery. The mansion is truly breathtaking.

“Nancy Drew: Message in a Haunted Mansion” is a well-designed piece of software. It offers three levels of difficulty, giving it high replay value. It contains a useful “second chance” option that allows a player to go back to the moment before a bad decision. In all, it combines a compelling story with spectacular graphics and rigorous game play.

However, its real strength is the message the game sends to girls. Unlike girl software that focuses on superficial things such as how you look, this title demonstrates that it is admirable to be clever and brainy. Players have to solve a variety of puzzles and use logic to solve the mystery.

‘Dear America: Friend to Friend’

Based on Scholastic’s critically acclaimed book and television series, “Dear America,” “Friend to Friend” features a unique technology that allows girls of today to chat with courageous girls from the past, using a simulated instant-messaging system. Because today’s girls are familiar with this method of communication, the feature offers familiarity when exploring.

In “Dear America: Friend to Friend,” girls interact with six girls from historic periods by reading their diaries. The girls are:

* Remember Patience Whipple, a pilgrim who crossed on the Mayflower and is starting her life in the New World.

* Abigail Jane Stewart, a girl during the Revolutionary War.

* Clotee, a slave seeking freedom from a Virginia plantation.

* Hattie Campbell, a girl traveling the Oregon Trail.

* Zipporah Feldman, a Jewish immigrant finding her way in New York City in the early 1900s.

* Margaret Ann Brady, a British orphan hired to sail on the Titanic.

Actual diaries, letters and historical events inspire the stories presented in “Friend to Friend.” As the player reads a character’s diary, the character periodically sends an instant message to ask the reader’s opinion. The reader can then choose from a list of answers, and, depending on which answer is chosen, the diary of the character changes. Kid testers liked this ability to influence the diaries.

The software also houses an area in which players can write their own diaries, decorate them and even receive writing prompts from the historical friends. Another section encourages self-discovery through some personality quizzes.

In “Dear America: Friend to Friend,” girls learn history through reading and writing. This is not a program in which girls engage a computer character who is constantly moving and talking. The interaction here is more passive. Nonetheless, because of the simulated chat feature, girls do bond with the historical figures and can have fun learning about and influencing the personal histories.

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Jinny Gudmundsen is editor of Choosing Children’s Software magazine.

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The Skinny

“Nancy Drew: Message in a Haunted Mansion”

Price: $30

Ages: 10 and older

Platform: PC

System requirements: Pentium 166 with 16 MB of RAM and 130 MB of available hard disk space

Publisher: Her Interactive

The good: Strong female lead character, compelling story, great graphics, fun game play

The bad: May be too challenging for some

Bottom line: A mystery that girls will love

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“Dear America: Friend to Friend”

Price: $30

Ages: 8 to 12

Platform: PC/Mac

System requirements: On the PC, a Pentium 133 with 32 MB of RAM and 30 MB of available hard disk space. On the Mac, a Power PC 120 with 32 MB of RAM and 30 MB of available hard disk space.

Publisher: Knowledge Adventure

The good: Simulated instant-messaging system

The bad: Too much passive learning

Bottom line: A fun way to chat with girls from history