Nancy Drew: Treasure in the Royal Tower

The fourth installment in the Nancy Drew Adventure game series is once again one of the most well-known and praised games. For many fans, this was their first step into the large world of Nancy Drew.

Available on: Windows 98/ME/2000 Professional/XP/Vista/7/8/10
ESRB: E for Everyone
PC Release Date: July 24, 2001
Release MSRP: $24.95 USD
Current MSRP: $9.99 USD
Number of Discs: 1
Game Abbreviation: TRT
Game Color Code: 712C91

Game Description: Follow Ancient Clues to Find Marie Antoinette’s Legendary Secret!
While snowed-in at the Wickford Castle Ski Resort you, as Nancy Drew, are trapped in a place that’s as strange as its history. The castle is a riddle, full of dead-ends and detours that hint at a legend left behind by Marie Antoinette! Solve baffling puzzles, search concealed rooms, interview evasive suspects, and sidestep danger on the hunt for a secret that the doomed queen was desperate to hide in Nancy Drew: Treasure in the Royal Tower.
PC System Requirements: 166 MHz or greater Pentium or equivalent class CPU. 16 MB of RAM. 150MB or more of hard drive space. 16-bit DirectX 7.0 compatible graphics video card. 16-bit DirectX 7.0 compatible sound card. 8x CD-ROM drive. Mouse and Speakers.

Fun Facts:

This was the first game to include the game number on the front and sides of the box of the retail version of the box art designed by Mark Tolleshaug. HeR added the game numbers to the DVD cases when they started releasing the games from their online store.
HeR released 2 draft sketches for the cover art on the Amateur Sleuth Blog.
TRT introduced Ezra Wickford, the creator of Wickford Chocolates, Koko Kringle bar, and chocolate milk.
TRT also introduced Professor Beatrice Hotchkiss, a later recurring character in the series. Hotchkiss was voiced by Keri Healey, an actor/director who brought the voices of Frank and Joe Hardy (Rob Jones and Jonah von Spreecken) to the games.
This game is also famous for being the first game many fans were introduced to the series with.
This was one of three games to make it into the Nancy Drew Collector’s Edition Fan Favorites tin.
HeR didn’t create and release a digital strategy guide for TRT until 2017.
TRT was the first game to use the game’s cover art as the loading picture when you open the game.
TRT introduced a tutorial level that takes place in a scene within the actual game. It was intended to help new players figure out how to play the game and understand it's mechanics.
2001 began HeR’s release schedule of 2 games a year starting with TRT and FIN until 2015 when Sea of Darkness was the only game released that year. The reason HeR started producing two games a year was due to the fact that the game director, Max Holechek, said distributors were dropping video game prices. To maintain the company's ability to make profit and stay afloat, they needed to double up on how fast things were getting done.
Years ago, this game had an online interactive demo. You would explore Wickford Castle and would learn about the game as you went.
Hidden in the game's audio files for this game is a full teaser trailer for The Final Scene. Unfortunately, it was never actually implemented or used.

Walkthrough

You can watch the full video walkthrough for Nancy Drew: Treasure in the Royal Tower on YouTube!

Image Gallery

Characters

Dexter Egan

Adopted by the castle’s creator when he was just a child, Dexter is now the caretaker. Are there secrets about the castle that he’s trying to hide?

Jacques Brunais

A former Olympic skier who has now retired as a ski instructor, Jacques is in charge of the ski equipment. His father helped move the castle to Wickford, so perhaps his ties to the castle run deeper than meets the eye?

Lisa Ostrum

Lisa is a photojournalist interested in historical castles with storied pasts, but she knows more than she’s letting on. Could she have an ulterior motive for picking this castle for her story?

Professor Hotchkiss

Chatty and knowledgeable, Professor Hotchkiss is the person to ask for all things related to Marie Antoinette. Is she trying to keep the treasure hidden by the doomed queen for herself?

Awards

Parents’ Choice Gold Award, 2001
National Parenting Center, Seal of Approval 2001
Parent’s Guide to Children’s Media, 2001 Outstanding Achievement in Computer Programs
Amazon.com, Editor’s Choice
Amazon.com, Best Children’s Software of 2001