Along with the frequent conversation mini-games, the remaining gameplay consists primarily of examining items and opening locks or other objects by figuring out codes. There are many locks to open and yet another mini-game is used to open practically all of them. At one point, there are two locks in quick succession that use the same mini-game. In this particular game, the player simply needs to align colored dots with proper timing, and while the game is quite easy and the timer very generous, it quickly gets repetitive and loses its appeal part way into the game. The continuity between dialogue and action sequences is also off at times. Too often Nancy will comment on the need to open something after already playing the game to open it. And if you haven't had enough of mini-games along the way, there is still one more towards the end of the game that needs to be played six times in a row. I won’t say anymore about it so as not to spoil the story, but six is way too many regardless of the justification.

With repetitive mini-games confronting you at seemingly every turn, it isn't long before tedium begins to set in. But to make matters worse, there is also the occasional chore to do in the game (which will be familiar to any PC Nancy Drew fans) as you are asked on a few occasions to do something for someone in order to learn information. This usually involves either getting an item, finding another person or doing a favor. There is also a bit of stealth in the game. At times, Nancy needs to sneak to an object or another door without being seen. This is done primarily by staying in the shadows. If you're out of the shadows for too long and get caught, however, you are allowed to try again as many times as needed. These retries are also given if you fail any of the mini-games. As I progressed through the game, it became easier to get through these sections, although it was sometimes difficult to see where Nancy was right away in the stealth portions.

The part of Deadly Secret that is most similar to the PC games is the story. The plot here is quite involved, as befits a Nancy Drew mystery. It’s primarily told through interactions with other characters and the various clues that Nancy finds in her investigation. But while the story itself is interesting, it's not particularly interactive. As the story progresses and Nancy finds she needs to go somewhere else, the game will automatically take you there, making the game a very linear experience. And as clues are gathered, the only involvement the player has with them is reading descriptions when examined in the inventory. There is no active participation in piecing the clues together or in making the story advance.

For all of the mini-game filler padding out the gameplay experience, you might think The Deadly Secret of the Olde World Park would be a fairly lengthy game, but this isn't really the case (though it may start to feel that way). I played through the game twice, with the first time taking me a little over three hours; once I had better mastered the mini-games, I sailed through it again in about half the time. At first I liked the mini-games as an alternative gameplay style from the conventional inventory and logic puzzles in most adventures. Unfortunately, that gameplay becomes extremely repetitive and playing the same mini-games stops being fun long before the end of the game. The sneaking sections should pose no problems for anyone, and the low level of difficulty in the mini-games suggests that this game is targeted to a younger audience than its PC counterparts. But younger or older, any gamer deserves non-repetitive and varied gameplay, and there just isn't enough here to hold anyone's interest for long. Equally disappointing is the lack of involvement in the story. This is Nancy Drew, after all, and it would have been nice to actually participate in the mystery with even a moderate ability to choose where to go or what clues are important. In other words, to actually feel like you're playing as Nancy and not just guiding her from one place to another.

The many Nancy Drew fans and DS adventure gamers may be interested in this title, but I can’t really recommend it to any audience. Even for a younger gamer, the repetitive gameplay will likely get boring before the end, and the tedium will quickly be felt by a more seasoned adventure gamer. For those who enjoy adventure games on the DS, there is really no particular use made of the system's unique features; certainly not enough to make up for the monotonous gameplay or lack of interactivity in the story. And while I personally like shorter games, as my playing time isn’t plentiful, a short game should justify its abbreviated playing time with an enriching experience, not consist largely of repetitive filler. The story is interesting enough (and I didn’t figure out what the final outcome would be until the very end) and it’s fun to be able to see many of the characters that have only been in gamers’ imaginations until now, but only the most diehard Nancy Drew fan will find enough benefit to overcome the shallow gameplay.