- This page is for the video game. For the book of the same name, see The Secret of the Old Clock.
Secret of the Old Clock is the twelfth game in the Nancy Drew adventure series. It is based on the first four books in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories (The Secret of the Old Clock, The Hidden Staircase, The Bungalow Mystery, and The Mystery at Lilac Inn). In this game, Nancy tries to find the will of an eccentric man to help out a friend.
Plot[]
Outwit a criminal before time runs out!
You, as Nancy Drew, have been asked to visit Emily Crandall in Titusville, Illinois, a girl whom you only know through a mutual friend, Helen Corning. You arrive at the Lilac Inn, which Emily is currently running after her mother's death and Emily also wants you to safeguard her mother's jewelry at your father's bank. You find out that Emily and her mother had been counting on the generosity of their kind but strange neighbor, Josiah Crowley, to leave them part of his estate to help support the inn they own. But in his will, everything was left to Richard Topham, his ESP teacher. A contested will, a suffering girl, and suspicious psychics - can you solve the mystery before time runs out?
- Drive Nancy's classic blue Roadster
- Explore Titusville
- Play miniature golf
Synopsis[]
Emily Crandall[]
Emily's mother, Gloria, recently died, leaving her to her guardian Jane Willoughby. She is a 17-year-old girl who lives at the Lilac Inn and also runs it. However, she is nervous and distracted, often hearing and seeing strange things. At times she's worried that she's going insane.
Jane Willoughby[]
Jane was a friend of Emily's mother and traveled to Lilac Inn to become Emily's guardian until the girl turns 18. She used to be a seamstress with Emily's mother. She feels sorry for Emily but isn't sure how to help her or run a business in Depression-era times.
Richard Topham[]
Richard is a self-proclaimed (and self-important) psychic. He currently lives next door to the Lilac Inn, in the house formerly owned by deceased Josiah Crowley, and has inherited all of Crowley's possessions despite Crowley's plans to leave some things to Emily and her mother.
Jim Archer[]
Jim is Emily's banker. His bank is starting to fall under due to the recent depression.
Phone Friends[]
The phone is located on the wall outside the inn, although Nancy will have to spend a nickel every time she uses it.
Carson Drew[]
Carson is Nancy's father. He can give her advice if she's a Junior Detective.
Bess Marvin and George Fayne[]
Bess and George are cousins and good friends of Nancy. They have to share a line with Mrs. Farthingham, Bess' nosy neighbor who constantly interrupts conversations between Nancy, Bess, and George.
Trivia[]
- Her Interactive was originally supposed to have 12 games.
- Several references to the Nancy Drew books and its history are made throughout the game:
- A picture of Edward Stratemeyer, the creator of the Nancy Drew, is seen going down the staircase of the Inn.
- The running gag of the word "Keen" is a play on the pseudonym of the Nancy Drew books, Carolyn Keene.
- Emily mentions her "great-aunt Harriet". Harriet Stratemeyer Adams was the daughter of Edward Stratemeyer and the editor of the Nancy Drew books, later revising and writing many of the books.
- Deer Mountain Resort was the name of the resort in the book The Haunted Bridge. Also, Dr. Aikerman, Margaret Judson, Mrs. Brownell and Betsy Howard that work there are characters from that book.
- Camp Avondale was the camp Nancy spent a week at in the book version of The Secret of the Old Clock.
- Topham is the name of a family in the book rather than a specific person; Richard Topham was the family patriarch.
- Jim Archer is a recurring character in the revised editions of earlier books; in the books, he is the fiancé of Helen Corning. She is Nancy's friend (before the debut of Bess and George), who was only mentioned as a mutual friend of Nancy and Emily.
- The name of Emily Crandall's inn is taken from the fourth Nancy Drew book, The Mystery at Lilac Inn.
- Twin Elms is a mansion haunted by a so-called-ghost in the Nancy Drew book, The Hidden Staircase and in the 2007 movie Nancy Drew is the spa with the criss-crossed palm tree logo.
- The picture shown when Nancy visits Twin Elms is an actual picture of Biltmore Estate, in Asheville, North Carolina.
- Many of the locations in Titusville are taken from other films and books.
- Seymour and Audrey who work at the nursery are names from The Little Shop of Horrors.
- Bogart's Pond is named after the pond in Westwood, New Jersey.
- Miss Temple, Mr. Brocklehurst, Madame Pierrot and Miss Scatcher at the Lowood Academy are all found in Jane Eyre.
- The names of the counselors at Camp Avondale are names of characters from the Friday the 13th movie.
- The workers at Krolmeister Nail Factory, Phil Connor, Dede, Jurgis and Ona, are characters in Upton Sinclair's The Jungle.
- The names of the characters at the library are people for whom the libraries at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the University of Washington were named.
- The names of the characters at Sunnybrook Farm refer to characters from Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.
- The character names at Vache's Dairy (vache is French for 'cow') are taken from George Orwell's novel, Animal Farm.
- The girls at the railroad station and their friends are named after characters on the television show Petticoat Junction.
Continuity[]
- The Krolmeister Nail Factory is a location in Titusville.
- Emily has a record of the instrumental version of "Ballad of Brigitte." (Curse of Blackmoor Manor)
- The carousel horse in Josiah's house is one of the horses that were sold in The Haunted Carousel game.
Foreshadowing[]
Easter Eggs[]
- If the player straightens the picture from Emily's room 10 times, it will talk.
Main/recurring character revelations[]
- Bess has a nosy neighbor named Mrs. Farthingham who consistently hops on the phone line.
- Nancy has a previous friendship with Helen Corning.
Allusions[]
- Emily asks Nancy is she is "some kind of Sam Spade." The character of Sam Spade also debuted in 1930.
- Bess and George mention that they are going to see The Big Trail, and that Helen calls John Wayne a "dreamboat."
Goofs[]
Quotes[]
- "Welcome to Zippy’s, where zipless service is zippily zapped and zippy service is the zippiest. Fill ‘er up?"
- "Time will tell!"
- "You go, girl!"
- "Of course it tastes bad Clarence, it’s a pinecone."