As far as gameplay is concerned, get ready for make-work projects, because this game is full of them. I spent a lot of time trolling the beach looking for shells to make necklaces. Now, I was quite happy on the beach, but I wasn't so happy about having to constantly run down there, find a small number of shells, run back to the necklace table, make the necklace and then trade it for coins. Repeat this with a fishing portion of the game. First off, it seems like I never found the type of shells I needed to bring in the big bucks. So instead of being able to make only one or two necklaces to buy the gear I needed, I had to run down to the beach four or five times to get the shells to make one of the cheap necklaces. This got old fast. It also made me wonder why you can't backtrack faster. Nowhere in this game can you quickly traverse environments you've already visited. It would have been nice on all those trips to see Quigley in the jungle if I could have moved along the trail a little faster with a zip mode or map feature. Nancy does possess a GPS map, but this only helps her move from one location to another, not to move through a single environment quicker.

Fortunately, what you lack in speed you make up in ease of simple point-and-click navigation. One of the best things about these games is that you can only move in 3 or 4 directions at any given time. Some might say this is not a positive in a game, but I have been hopelessly mired in other adventures that have allowed too much flexibility in movement. Being able to move from node to node lets the teen sleuths focus on what's important without struggling to find their way.

Most puzzles can be figured out without much difficulty by paying attention to your environment and applying a little bit of elbow grease. One particular boulder puzzle towards the end, relating to the "Kapu" (forbidden) cave, can result in your death if you don't move quickly, so be aware you can die. Of course, dying in Nancy Drew games simply means clicking on the Second Chance button to restore the game before the fatal action. At another point you need to make Big Mike his favourite shaved ice snack. With twelve flavours to use, the possible combinations can be a little overwhelming. As each attempt will cost you precious cash, conserve your hard-won dollars by saving before you start this puzzle. Trust me, when it comes time to purchase scuba diving equipment to complete the last part of the game, you will thank me for saving you money. This brings me to my favourite puzzle of the game, where Frank gets to ride some crazy currents. This is a lot of fun even though it felt suspiciously like a maze puzzle to me.

The graphics in Kapu Cave seem to be where Her Interactive spent most of their time. It's not that they overhauled the graphic design from previous games, but there are a number of unexpected and delightful details included in this game that I haven't seen before. The first is the lapping water in the ocean. Lapping water, you say? I'm sure you've seen that before, but have you seen it before in a Nancy Drew game? Of course not. This isn't a huge change, but even such a small thing can have significant impact on the game environment. I was tickled pink to see more ambient animation. Next are the cutscenes in this game. Other games in the series have had them, but in The Creature of Kapu Cave they are beefed up. They are longer, more involved, and clearer than I have seen in the past, and they are a welcome addition. Lastly, the attention to detail in the jungle environment is very good. There's a great deal of texture and colour used to fine effect here. I almost found myself wondering at one point if I had gotten lost in the jungle world of Myst 3: Exile. Now, I know that game came out five years ago, but the point is that the series is moving in the right direction. These kinds of flourishes add a lot to a budget title like Kapu Cave, and show a willingness to improve on an already successful series that could easily rest on its laurels. Such a long-running series can start to feel a little dusty if boundaries aren't pushed once and a while.

I enjoyed this game for most of the reasons I have liked previous games in this series. What is improved is that Her Interactive has tried to take the graphic design element to a higher level. This will help the games to grow with their players. The inclusion of new playable characters, Frank and Joe Hardy, also broadens the game's appeal and adds more flavour to the gameplay. But The Creature of Kapu Cave still suffers from too many make-work activities. This is nothing new; it's a complaint I had about the previous two games as well. But it seems to me that the developers are tackling one problem at time. Hopefully, this will be the one they choose for the next instalment. Still, I would recommend this game to anyone looking for a quick, but fun game. While not the best game in the series, it is a worthy entry and well worth your time to try.