Older Games on Mac
January 9th, 2017
We started making our games for both PC and Mac with Game #22 Nancy Drew: Trail of the Twister. At this time, HeR Interactive is developing all of our new games for the Mac, as well as PC. I wish we had more games available for the Mac, but as we are a small company, the cost of converting our older games is prohibitive. However, I can assure you that ALL future games will be Mac compatible.
In addition, if you would like to try playing the older ND games on your Mac, we have heard that some of our fans have successfully used a product named “Virtual PC” to play our titles, as well as one called Wineskin. You may also want to try a program put out by Apple called Boot Camp which you can find on Apple’s website. While we don’t officially support this, you may find that it will work well for you too.
While we cannot guarantee its success as we did not develop this software, below is a method of installation using Wineskin that has been successful for many of our fans in the past.
For Physical Discs:
- Download Wineskin Winery here
- Create a folder(s) on your desktop and name it the title of your game (e.g. “Secret of the Scarlet Hand”)
- If your game has two discs, you will need to make three folders (one for each disc, and one to combine the two so that you have one complete game folder). Name these folders the title of your game followed by a 1, 2, and 3 (e.g. “Secret of the Scarlet Hand 1”)
- Insert the disc (or the first disc if you have multiple discs) into the disc drive
- If nothing immediately happens, double-click on the disc icon that appears on desktop to see the contents of the disc
- Select all of the files and folders that are located on the disc and drag and drop them into the folder on your desktop that you created (or the folder for disc 1 if you have multiple discs)
- When all of the files/folders have successfully been copied over, remove disc 1
- If your game only has one disc, then skip to step 8; otherwise repeat steps 3 through 6 for the second disc, placing these files/folders into the folder for disc 2
- Once both disc folders contain the contents of each disc, drag both folders into the last folder you created. This will be your complete “game folder” which you will use going forward
- Duplicate the game folder on your desktop (it should be named “[Game Title] copy”)
- Now open Wineskin
- You will need version WS8Wine1.3.18 (Or WS8Wine1.3.34 for Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon, Danger by Design, and The Creature of Kapu Cave). If not there originally, click the plus (+) button and search for “WS8” in the search bar; find the engine called “WS8Wine1.3.18” from the drop-down menu underneath the search bar, select it, and then click on “Download and Install”
- You will also need to make sure you have the latest Wrapper Version (currently Wineskin 2.6.2). If you do not see it in the box underneath where it says “Wrapper Version,” click on the “Update” button underneath
- Click “Create New Blank Wrapper,” name your wrapper the title of your game, and click “OK”
- Next it may say that it could not find Gecko package; if so, click install for Wine Gecko Installer (it may take a little while to install)
- If you receive a “Program Error” message, exit out of the message window, then exit out of the loading section of the Gecko package installer and wait
- Once complete click “View Wrapper in Finder”
- Drag and drop the wrapper onto your desktop
- Once on your desktop, double click to open the wrapper, and click “Install Software”
- Under advanced options click “Move a Folder Inside”
- Select the duplicate folder that you just created and click “Choose”
- If you do not see the folder immediately, make sure you are looking in the correct location (in your “Desktop” folder)
- Select the setup file for the game from the drop-down list. The file should be located in “/Program Files/[Game Title] copy/Setup.exe” (It will always end in Setup.exe ). The game should start the installation process
- If nothing happens from there, click the third button down labeled “Advanced” on the Wineskin window
- In the configuration tab make sure the Windows EXE file displayed is the setup.exe for your game and click “Test Run”
- Installation should begin; click “Install [Game Name]”
- Once you reach the screen that lets you choose the destination, click “browse” and make the path “C:\” and click “OK”, and then “next”
- If you see a window entitled “Direct X optional Installation” click the button saying, “No, I will Install, DirectX myself” and then click “next”
- Once the game is finished installing, uncheck the box that says, “Play the game now!” and click “Finish”
- If you are prompted to restart your computer, click “No, I will restart later” and click “Finish”
- Next click “Exit Setup”
- Once you are out of the installer the Wineskin advanced window should still be open (if not, click on “Advanced” to open it up again); click “Browse”
- Change the Windows EXE file from setup.exe to the file titled “/Game.exe” or “/[Game Title].exe” and click “Test Run”
- After this the game should start running
- If you do not see the game begin to play and then you see a window that says “Test Run Complete,” just click “Cancel” and then wait a few seconds, and then try clicking “Test Run” again
- When you are satisfied with your test run, exit out of the game and then click “Cancel” when you see a window that says “Test Run Complete.” You should now be able to click on the wrapper on your desktop to begin playing the game
*NOTE: If clicking on “Test Run” does not begin installing/launching your game, or you are running into issues with re-opening your game, the following steps may help correct the issue:
1) Right-click on the game wrapper on your desktop and select “Show Package Contents”
2) Right-click on the Wineskip.app and select “Open”
3) Click on “Set Screen Options”
4) Under “Other Options,” uncheck the box next to “Auto Detect GPU Info for Direct 3D”
5) Click “Done” and exit out
For Digital Downloads:
- Download Wineskin Winery here
- Download the game you wish to play from your order and then drag and drop the downloaded file onto your desktop
- Now open Wineskin
- You will need version WS8Wine1.3.18 (Or WS8Wine1.3.34 for Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon, Danger by Design, and The Creature of Kapu Cave). If not there originally, click the plus (+) button and search for “WS8” in the search bar; find the engine called “WS8Wine1.3.18” from the drop-down menu underneath the search bar, select it, and then click on “Download and Install”
- You will also need to make sure you have the latest Wrapper Version (currently Wineskin 2.6.2). If you do not see it in the box underneath where it says “Wrapper Version,” click on the “Update” button underneath
- Click “Create New Blank Wrapper,” name your wrapper the title of your game, and click “OK”
- Next it may say that it could not find Gecko package; if so, click install for Wine Gecko Installer (it may take a little while to install)
- If you receive a “Program Error” message, exit out of the message window, then exit out of the loading section of the Gecko package installer and wait
- Once complete click “View Wrapper in Finder”
- Drag and drop the wrapper onto your desktop
- Once on your desktop, double click to open the wrapper. Click “Set Screen Options” and then uncheck the box for “Auto Detect GPU for Direct 3D” and then click “Done.”
- Click on “Install Software”
- Under advanced options click “Choose Setup Executable”
- Select the game file that you downloaded (it will always end in .exe). The game should start the installation process.
- Once you reach the screen that lets you choose the destination, click “browse” and make the path “C:\” and click “OK”, and then “next”
- If you see a window entitled “Direct X optional Installation” click the button saying, “No, I will Install, DirectX myself” and then click “next”
- Once the game is finished installing, if there is a box that says, “Play the game now!” then uncheck it, and then click “Finish”
- If prompted to “Choose Executable,” select the option “/Game.exe” or “/[Game Title].exe” from the dropdown menu and click “OK”
- Once you are out of the installer the Wineskin advanced window should still be open (if not, click on “Advanced” to open it back up); click “Browse”
- Select the file titled “/Game.exe” or “/[Game Title].exe” and click choose, and then click “Test Run”
- After this the game should start running
- If you do not see the game begin to play and then you see a window that says “Test Run Complete,” just click “Cancel” and then wait a few seconds, and then try clicking “Test Run” again
- When you are satisfied with your test run, exit out of the game and then click “Cancel” when you see a window that says “Test Run Complete.” You should now be able to click on the wrapper on your desktop to begin playing the game
Please read our letter about Catalina and newer operating systems.
Hello there! Wineskin has been my savior for playing my old Nancy Drew games that weren’t made for Mac! The trick is all in which wrapper you use. So far, the only one I haven’t been able to play has been the original Secrets Can Kill with 2 discs.
I’m trying to figure this out for Stay Tuned for Danger but I’m having a really difficult time understanding how all of this works! What exactly do you mean when you say “all in which wrapper you use?”
Hi Greta! Where do you see us say “wrapper”? Could you email us at techsupport@herinteractive.com? Thanks!
Oh! Sorry, I meant that in response to Brooke’s comment above. She mentioned using Wineskin and that the trick is all in which wrapper you use. I was hoping she could explain what she meant and/or how she uses the program. 🙂
Sorry for the confusion!
Greta,
When you use Wineskin, you can choose an engine to make a wrapper. When I first started trying this, I just used the newest engine (figuring that would be the best one) and there was terrible mouse lag and flickering and such. Then I did some searching and found that a different engine worked way better. I’ve had to use a different one for a few games, but the one that’s worked best for me is WS8Wine1.3.18. Hope that helps!
Yes!! That worked perfectly!! Thank you so much. You are awesome!
Hello Brooke!
I was hoping maybe you could give a step by step. I want to make sure I download the correct application with the correct wrapper. I tried, but it didn’t let me pick WS8Wine1.3.18., which you’ve had the best success with. Also, once it’s downloaded what do you do with the game?
Thank you!
Hi Michaela! Check out this step by step. It should have everything you need!
https://www.reddit.com/r/nancydrew/comments/5lcobt/play_old_nancy_drew_games_on_mac/
This link helped me SO much!! I have played games 2-13 on my 2012 MacBook Pro with barely any issues. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS POST!! I seriously can’t thank you enough. I have been longing to play the older games but since I got a Mac 6 years ago I didn’t have the chance. I have spent hours enjoying these old ND games as well as some of my other favorites from windows 98, Me, XP. Hope to play original SCK and games 14-21 eventually. I recommend wrapper 1.3.18 for 2-12 and 1.3.34 for TRN.
Can someone PLEASE give me (tech illiterate) STEP BY STEP instructions on a MAC laptop how to get the program needed to play the older games and then how to get them ready to play? Thank you!
Hi Linda! While we don’t support the software, we can provide you the link to Wineskin where you can learn about and follow their directions: http://wineskin.urgesoftware.com/tiki-index.php
I’m at the very last step. I hit test run and I’m getting a pop up that says “unable to open CIF / CAL TREE file in – all tree data has been cleared…” and then another pop up that says “Runtine Error! Abnormal program termination” HELP!!!!! :’(
Hi Danielle! Would you please email us at techsupport@herinteractive.com with this issue so we can help you out further? Thank you!
I am having the same issue and it’s very frustrating. After I click “test run,” A pop-up window comes up that says “Unable to open CIF / CAL TREE file in Unable to open CIF / CAL TREE file in – all tree data has been cleared…”
What does this mean and how can I fix this?
Hi Caroline – Please contact our Tech Support team and they will be able to help you with this issue. They can be reached at techsupport@herinteractive.com. Thanks for supporting HeR Interactive and Nancy Drew Games!
I am having the same issue with my digital download. Can someone please help?
Hi Lynn! Would you please email us at techsupport@herinteractive.com and specify which game you are having trouble with? Thanks!
Did anyone figure out how to fix this issue? I email tech support, but haven’t gotten a response and would love to be able to play the game I paid for!
Hi Isabelle! I apologize – our team received many more emails than normal in the past 2 weeks. Please keep an eye out for when we can catch up on your email!
I had that problem; turns out that the digital installer puts everything under C:\Program Files, then I had to run the setup.exe in there, THEN choose the game.exe under C:\Nancy Drew (or just C:\), NOT the one under C:\Program Files.
I am having this problem too. Please let me know if there is a solution!!
Do you have to have the physical disc purchase or can you download the game and play it then?
Hi Linda, I believe that both Digital and Physical games would be able to work on Mac while using a program like Wineskin.
Only the physical copy works.
Digital copies work just fine which is great since newer Macs don’t have CD/DVD Drives.
Has anyone tried using 2-disk games on the Mac? I haven’t had much sucess with this, so I am wondering if other people have?
Cheryl,
Yes, I have played many (close to all) of the 2 disc games on the Mac. The only one I’ve not been able to get to work so far has been the original Secrets Can Kill. Just copy the files from both discs into the same folder, select “Keep Both” if it finds any files that may be “duplicates” and then proceed just like you would for a game with a single disc! Hope that helps!
This has helped me tremendously. I was having such trouble with the two-disc games! Thank you so much!
I don’t understand how to use this at all. Is there an easy to understand guide anywhere? Unfortunately this is Greek to me 🙁
Hi AccioDrew! I highly recommend reading up on each of the programs’ web sites for further instructions.
How do you play your Nancy Drew disc on a mac computer? Please help me with this Thank you Donna McLean
Hi Donna! We can’t help too much since we don’t support this software, but if you check out the web site for Wineskin, there is a manual to read: http://wineskin.urgesoftware.com/tiki-index.php
If you look on the Facebook page Donna, there is a step-by-step posted by Elle Sea. I think it was posted on 12/31/16. Take a peek!
How do you play older games on a PC. I tried changing to a compatible previous version of Windows but none of them worked. Do you have a solution to this problem? Thanks.
Hi Annie, if you are still having trouble after reading the instructions and following the programs’ web site guides (like Wineskin’s) try emailing their tech support for your Mac porting.
I found this video to be extremely helpful in walking through how to install Wineskin and therefore the older games!! https://youtu.be/ot94PUemEU4
When he says to select “Euro Truck Simulator” that’s the step where you’ll pick the game to install. Go to the Disc image, and select Setup.exe
Hope that helps!!
Scratch that!!! THIS one is even better. The other one I actually haven’t been able to open the game at all… installing was easy, but I still can’t play. This one is more thorough! It’s a different program altogether.
https://youtu.be/Lmnr4BeRceQ
Does anyone have directions on how to install old games via Wineskin when it is a digital download? I know how to do it when you have the disc, but what about when it’s only the digital version?
Hi Tori! I’ve never used Wineskin, so I could only suggest looking up their guides on their web site. Sorry!
I created a tutorial on youtube for downloading Nancy Drew games using wineskin! I explain how with two disc games as well! Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUvkbvsSebk
Parallels is also really good. Virtual PC is now called VMWare Fusion. If you use these, try to load Windows XP, because it is easier to install the games, and there is less memory drain and lag.
Does anyone know how to get back into your game? I was able to get it all set up through Wineskin, but now I cannot get back in. It prompts me back through the install process where I have to choose to “modify”, “repair”, or “remove” the game. I have tried the “modify” option and the “repair” option and they don’t seem to do anything. I don’t want to try the “remove” option because it took me so long to even get it set up in the first place. Anyone familiar with this situation and how to fix it?
Hi Kelsey! I suggest visiting Wineskine’s web site for additional tech support. 🙂
You click on advanced options and then test run. All previous progress is saved.
I am having the same issue. Did anyone find a solution? Clicking “test run” again didn’t work.
Hi Katherine! Would you please email us at techsupport@herinteractive.com with this issue? Thank you!
I would love to play the old games again! I have a MAC now but remember playing all those games on my PC, and would love to get back them while waiting for the release of Midnight in Salem. So my question to everyone, which works better for digital copies (such as from Her Interactive or Big Fish) WineSkin or Bootcamp? Or any other programs? Help please! 🙂
I don’t know if you still need help, Rachel, but I’ve used both and found that both work well. Wineskin requires a bit more fiddling, but once you get the hang of it it’s easy. Bootcamp is easier if you’re familiar with Windows (and I was able to get the first game to play on it, which I’ve yet to do using Wineskin), but it requires the purchase of an official copy of the Windows software.
7 I definitely still do! Awesome! Thank you! Ill have to give Bootcamp a try since you say its pretty easy 🙂 I appreciate it! Now I wonder where I can buy the official copy of the windows software lol cause I’m ready to get back into the old games! 🙂
I definitely still do need help! Awesome! Thank you! Ill have to give Bootcamp a try since you say its pretty easy I appreciate it! Now I wonder where I can buy the official copy of the windows software lol cause I’m ready to get back into the old games!
I’ve made a Twitch video on how to install old ND games on a Mac using Wineskin here: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/125941889
Now that I have this set up, II’ll be streaming the old games in order of release. Join me for some nostalgia! 😀
Anyone figured out how to get your games from Big Fish Games to work using wineskin?
If you have purchased games from Big Fish for a PC, but now have a Mac, Big Fish will transfer your purchase over for you.
Just email them, they were really good to me when I made the switch from PC to Mac and gave me the Mac downloads for all my purchased PC games free of charge.
Most of the games are not available for MAC so we still need a way to play PC versions. Anyone found a way to play Big Fish PC versions of the game on a MAC?
I’ve used the method recommended by a poster on the Facebook page for the first 12 games, but when I did the same thing with Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon and did the final test run (/Game.exe), the screen flashed and turned off. I thought it might just be that game, but I tried Danger by Design and had the same problem. Anyone have a method for games 13+?
Hello Breeanna, are you trying to use Wineskin or Bootcamp? If so, we recommend checking out that software’s tech support on their site. They know the software much better and may be able to help.
Has anyone played Warnings At Waverly Academy using Wineskin? If so, which Engine did you use?
I’m have trouble finding an Engine that doesn’t leave the game laggy. Thanks in advance!
Hi Shannon,
I am having the same problem. Please let us all know if you find a solution. I want to play this game so bad!!!
I haven’t tried wrapping any of the games yet, but Rachel’s video said that from newer games from blue moon and after used 1.3.34. Granted, her window went up to ransom, but if you haven’t tried that one yet maybe give it a go?
Hello! Can someone help me? I made a wrapper for Last Train with 1.3.34 and it starts okay, but when I click on the difficulty I want to play a box pops up that says ERROR:OpenVideoStreamForSingleFrames. Has anyone else had this problem? I’m not sure how to go about fixing it
try using engine 1.3.18
With wineskin, are you now able to purchase one of the old pc games through digital download and use it on mac software? I tried to download the pc version of The Secret of the Scarlet Hand on my mac and use wineskin in order to play it, but I wasn’t able to because once I downloaded the game, it just said that it was not compatible with macOS, and I could not use it in wineskin.
Does anyone know if there is a way to get around this?
So going off of my own experience downloading the digital version of the games you need to try and save the set-up file you download to the desktop. If you click ‘open’ you’ll get that non-compatible message. Once you do that follow the steps in Rachel’s video but instead of using the disk folders she has, just use the folder you make using the set-up file from the download. Rachels folders have a bunch of files but dont worry about that because you have to use wineskin for the installation wizard. Hope this helps!
Jordan, I’m having trouble even downloading. Keeps failing on my mac and wanted to save it as a text file and only goes to my downloads folder. Any help?
Hello Alisa, would you please email us at techsupport@herinteractive.com? Thanks!
Has anyone else had problem trying to install a game that has two discs, where part way through installation you still receive the prompt to ‘insert disc 2?’
Hi Pualei! If you are still having trouble, would you please email us at techsupport@herinteractive.com and let us know what operating system you are using? Thanks!
I have been successful in using Wineskin for all the older games except for: Blue Moon Canyon, Danger by Design, and Kapu Cave. I have attempted wrapper 1.1.34 as suggested by others but it has been unsuccessful. When I open the game.exe the screen prompts me to enter in the disk, when I do it still will not load. Thoughts anyone?
Hey, what did you use for Waverly Academy if you don’t mind me asking-I’ve been having issues with it lagging and skipping dialogue.
Mac always provides best games from the older times and interactivity makes it happen by Apple company.The game ‘Wineskin’ and the virtual games on first developed by Mac and well the establishment of games make a record in the world.
I’ve been able to play the following games:
PC Electronic Download:
Scarlet Hand
Secret of the Old Clock
Kapu Cave
Phantom of Venice
Blue Moon Canyon
Dossier: Resorting to Danger
Disc:
Deception Island
Haunted Carousel
These are the steps I used for all of the electronic downloads:
1. Once the download is complete I like to move it on to my desktop because it makes it easer to find later on
2. Open Wineskin and choose WS8Wine1.3.18 when creating a new wrapper (by clicking the + next to ‘new engines available’ if you do not already have the engine installed)
**For Blue Moon Canyon I had to use WS8Wine1.3.34 but the rest of the process was the same
2. Once the wrapper is completed click view in finder (I like to move the wrapper on to my desktop for accessibility as well) and open the wrapper
3. Click ‘install software’ then click ‘choose setup executable’.
4. In the window that pops up, select the game download from the desktop file
5. This will begin the download and a blue InstallSheild Wizard window should pop up on your screen. Follow the download BUT when you get to the designation folder click browse and type in ‘C:’
6. When the installation is completed, click on the wrapper to open the game. A ‘Choose Executable’ window may pop up; just choose /Game.exe and the game will begin or you may have to click on the wrapper again
For the games where I used a CD, I followed the youtube tutorial that was posted a while back in this thread.
Hope this helps!
Also lately I’ve just been chancing that the PC downloads will work with this process so if anyone has any of the ones not on this list I would love to know if they work!
You are the BEST wow. I could seriously cry haha. Secret of the Old Clock had some slow cursor issues, but Treasure in a Royal Tower is working perfectly so far. Either way, I’m gonna try this out for all the downloads! Thanks again xx
I’ve tried to do this several times, and only after I read your comment have I been able to!! THANK YOU SO MUCH. I’m soooo happy I can play old games again, and some that I never played! You are the best!
Have you ever encountered cursor lag with Resorting to Danger? I’ve tried both1.3.18 and 1.3.34 and have this issue with both.
Thank you all so much for your notes and help in using Wineskin. I am an older Nancy Drew addict and I am so happy that I can play the PC version games I missed. I just downloaded the Haunting at Castle Mallory and the instructions given above for digital download work like a charm. Only drawback is the sound is a bit low but I will use my headphones. Thanks again.
I used this method for Danger by Design and it worked great! But now I’m trying Stay Tuned for Danger and it’s not working. Can someone help? I haven’t been able to play this game, even on my windows, and it’s my last one! I really want to play it.
Hello Chloe! Would you please email us at techsupport@herinteractive.com so we can help you out further? Thanks!
I actually figured it out! Thanks though! 🙂 very excited to play
I think the problem with Stay Tuned for Danger is that when I try to erase everything but the “C:” for destination folder, it won’t let me. Did anyone have success with StFD?
Hi Chloe, I had the same problem, but not with this game. There is a ‘ \ ‘ after the ‘C:’. So I discovered if you leave out the back slash it will give you an error. In the destination folder, put ‘ C:\ ‘ and it shouldn’t give you an error message anymore. hope this helps!
I tried everything to get this to work for me. The discs I tried won’t even stay inside my mac. I watched youtube videos and even read the guides. Any help would be appreciated from here.
Hi Paul! If the discs do not stay in your drive, you may want to contact Apple support about the drive. Are you using Virtual PC, or Wineskin? Check out their tech support for how to use these. If you are having trouble installing a Nancy Drew game, please contact us directly at techsupport@herinteractive.com after you’ve checked that the computer and software works. Thanks!
Has anyone managed to find what wineskin version to use for Warnings at Waverly Academy? I’ve tried a couple but the lag is terrible!
Wine 1.3.0 gets rid of the lag in Waverly 🙂
Thanks Lindsay!
This helps with the lag, but for some reason my phone camera won’t work in the game, I can take a picture but it won’t show up on my camera. This happens with all wineskin versions I’ve tried. Has this happened to you also? Jess xx
I have had success with all my one disc games, but my two disc games (Danger by Design and Creature of Kapu Cave) seem to not be working through my Wineskin. I can get it all installed and everything, but when I select the game.exe and run the test run, it doesn’t actually start the game, it just prompts me about the successful test run and if I want to see the logs. I have been able to go through the setup and everything successfully for all my other games, but I really want to play these two and I can’t manage to get the game launched. Please please help if you know what to do!! Thanks
Hi Alesix! Would you please email us at techsupport@herinteractive.com with this issue? Thanks!
Did you ever find a solution for this? I’m having the same problem!
I’ve had success on all but Danger by Design, Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon, Creature of Kapu Cave, and obviously Warnings at Waverly Academy. Anybody have suggestions for getting at least 13-15 installed? I used two different wrappers (WS8Wine1.3.34 and 1.3.18) and couldn’t get either to work.
If it matters, I’m running OS X Yosemite.
Hey all! I’m following the Reddit link to use my games with a Mac but im struggling because all my games are being downloaded onto a portable external hard drive. Can anyone help? Which steps would I need to change?
Hi. Would really like to know what download version of the older games work with wineskin. I don’t have the physical copies anymore. 🙁
Hello Kitkat! All the downloadable Nancy Drew games (digital) should be able to work with the work-around instructions posted in our FAQ page, which should work the same way on PC as with a program like Wineskin or Bootcamp on Macs.
I am trying to install Creatire of Kapu, Danger by Desgin, and secret of the old clock on Wineskin on Mac but whenever I try it tells me to enter disc 1 I haven’t had this problems with any of the other ones
Hi Aiden, if you believe this is an issue with Wineskin, email them or contact their tech support team. If you think it’s an issue with the game itself, please email us at techsupport@herinteractive.com so we can help. Thanks!
IMPORTANT NOTE FOR ALL NEWER MAC USERS RUNNING HIGH SIERRA:
This WILL NOT work for digital downloads unless you do this between steps 7 and 8:
Go to “Set Screen Options”, and uncheck the Auto Detect GPU for Direct 3D” option.
Otherwise, these instructions are perfect for those wanting to run the older games on MAC. I have had no issues running any of the old games I’ve tried so far as soon as I figured out that this option needed to be unchecked on the newer operating system.
Thanks for the awesome games!! Everyone enjoy playing!
This happens with every game I try to install, both CD and download. No matter what I do, when I get to the point that the setup should run, it won’t. Nothing pops up, even after the test run. Any ideas?
Once I have the final wrapper that works can I move all the other folders off my desktop? (A little OCD lol)
Hello Jojo! Would you please send this question to techsupport@herinteractive.com? Thank you!
I just want to say thank you so much for putting this out there. It has been a good 10 years or so since I first started playing Nancy Drew games as a child and I have wanted to relive the old games for a long time. I cannot wait to play them! Thank you!
I’m trying run Stay Tuned for Danger on my Mac with OS El Capitan with Wineskin. Every time I get to the install stage and enter “C:\” for the path I get an error message saying you must enter a full path with drive letter; for example C:\APP or a UNC path in the form \\server\share”. Anyone find a work around for this issue?
Hi Janae! Would you please email us at techsupport@herinteractive.com with this issue? Thank you!
I have been having the same problem, were you able to resolve it? If so how?
I’m having the same problem. Any fixes?
I am having the same problem and I have tried everything! I even tried just saving it to another folder, still no luck in the end. Let me know if you get it figured out please!
I’m having the same problem! Did you end up figuring it out??
Hi Coryn – I have just alerted Tech Support regarding your issue and they should be in touch shortly. Sorry for the delay.
Was it ever figured out? I’m currently having this same issue!
This has worked so well for me! Except, has anyone had issues with Haunted Carousel playing the arcade games? My computer loads too slow to keep up with the games, so I can’t win the tokens. Anyone have this problem and been able to fix it?
Just installed my first Wineskin and game! My only issue so far is that the double curser is still there. Any tips on fixing that problem? Thanks!!
Wineskin used to work for me, except when I updated my Mac’s OS system it stopped. Does this still work? I’m using Mac High Sierra and can’t get anything on Wineskin to play anymore
Hi Chloe! Check out the FAQs on Wineskin’s web site, or try reaching out to them – they may know how to make their program work on newer operating systems.
I cannot get Danger By Design, Whit Wolf of Icicle Creek, Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon, and the Creature of Kapu Cave to work. I am running macOS High Sierra Version 10.13.6. I have followed the instructions for set up exactly and the picture is always broken up and fuzzy. What do I do?
Hello Lauren, if this seems like a PC/Mac port issue with the program you are using (like wineskin, or bootcamp for example) please contact them about more detailed help. If you think the game is glitching, please contact us at techsupport@herinteactive.com so we can help you fix it. Thanks!
My Mac will not let me install the game in the “C:\” destination format. What do I do? Everything else has worked so smoothly. P.s. I bought my digital download off of amazon.
Hello Bekah! Would you please email us at techsupport@herinteractive.com and let us know the operating system you are on, and let us know which game you are trying to install? Thank you!
Hi! I’m playing The Secret of Shadow Ranch and it’s extremely laggy. Wineskin is great but the cursor is very off and playing the games in Mary’s gift shop is so slow it takes a really long time to do a lot of the challenges. Does anyone think they can help? Thank you
Hello Brianna! Would you please email us at techsupport@herinteractive.com, and let us know if you ordered this game directly from our web site or note? Thank you!
I have had great success with wineskin until I tried to download Stay Tuned For Danger. Ever time I try to put in destination location C:\ it says “you must enter a full path with letter drive; for example ‘C:\APP or a UNC path in form: \\server\share”
Anyone come across this and know how to fix this error?
Hi Anna, would you please email us at techsupport@herinteractive.com so we can help you out better? Thank you!
Does anyone know how to play the older pc games through Big Fish on a Mac? Struggling with wineskin
Hi Shelby – Our Tech Support team might be able to help but we are unable to help with anything associated with Big Fish Games. You will need to contact them directly. Good luck!
I obtained my digital download for The Final Scene through Amazon. I was able to download the game but am unable to download Amazon Game Installer. Is there any way to do this or can I not play the game I’ve bought?
Hi Emily – Unfortunately, we are unable to help with any technical support issues that you may have with Amazon and their game installer. You will need to contact Amazon directly. I hope they can resolved your issue. This is why we always encourage fans to purchase directly from us at http://www.herinteractive.com. Good luck!
I just got the new MacOS Mojave 10.14.1 (MacBook Air) and tried downloading Warnings at Waverly Academy but had many failed attempts using the (WS8Wine1.3.18) due to mouse lag issues. However after trying the (WS8Wine1.3.34) it worked perfectly! If you have a new Mac operating system I would try that engine first.
Hi Aimee – Please contact our Tech Support team and they can help with this. They can be reached at techsupport@herinteractive.com. Stay sleuthy!
Can someone help me with Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon and Danger by Design? Every other game I’ve tried has worked fine using the procedures, including using the 1.3.34 wrapper, but with Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon it shuts down when I try to pick my difficulty level, and with Danger by Design it just flickers black and then shuts down when I try to start the game. Any thoughts? Are there specific options selections I need to have checked/unchecked? Thank you!
Hi there. I accidentally downloaded the PC version of SEA OF DARKNESS on my MAC and figured maybe this wineskin trick would be a good work around. I can get it to install and the game runs, but it is SO SLOW! The dialogue is out of sync and I have to wait for the animation to catch up with the dialogues. Is there a way to get wineskin to work for games that are technically suitable for Macs, but I just download the wrong file? Or do I need to get the Mac file?
Hi Maria! If you ordered the game from herinteractive.com, please contact us at customerservice@herinteractive.com so we can help you out. Thanks!
I installed all of the mac compatible games to my new macbook air (running mojave 10.14.3) and none of them will open. I get an error message saying “Nancy Drew – Sea of Darkness quit unexpectedly. Click Reopen to open the application again. Click Report to see more detailed information and send a report to Apple.” but clicking reopen just brings up the same message. I’ve played them all successfully on an older computer, so I don’t believe anything is wrong with the disks themselves. How can I fix this problem so I can play them?
Hi Austen, please contact us at techsupport@herinteractive.com so we can help you out further. Thanks!
Okay so I did this with Sea of Darkness and it opens up the game but it shows the Dock at the bottom and the windows bar at the top and I can’t actually get into the game. Any idea?
Hi Molly Grace, would you please email us at techsupport@herinteractive.com so we can help you further? Thanks!
Hi, will Her Interactive ever rerelease the old games on Mac?
Hello Aimee-Rose! Since our main focus is to make Nancy Drew: Midnight in Salem, I do not think we’ll be re-making older games for Mac. The work-around with Wineskin or another program is the closest we have found to being to play the PC games on a Mac.
Ok, I guess I’m just slow. I got Wineskin installed and prepped all fine and dandy. But then the instructions say to download the purchased games (digital purchase) onto my computer. But how do I download a Windows game onto a Mac in the first place? I tried with Deception Island and I told me I couldn’t download it. This is from a purchase from Big Fish, btw. Does it work with purchases from 3rd party sites, or only Her Interactive?
Hello RhondaGC, would you please email us at techsupport@herinteractive.com so we can help you out further? Thank you!
If anyone is still interested, I found a different way that was super easy for me. You’re able to download the Windows 10 installation software onto Macs (Google “Download Windows 10 Disc Image ISO File”), and then Mac already has a system built into it called Boot Camp (you can search it within your applications and find it) that can install the system for you. You just open Boot Camp and select the file you just downloaded. Then you can basically easily switch between Mac and Windows software. Also this way I was easily able to download and play PC digital downloads from Big Fish Games. It’s all free and seems a bit more creditable than Wineskin.
Here’s a more in-depth link for how to actually do it: https://www.imore.com/how-install-windows-your-mac-boot-camp
Hello! So I have successfully used this method for a few games now, but I can’t seem to get it to work for White Wolf of Icicle Creek. It successfully installs, but then when I go to open the game after, it says the game has encountered a serious error and must close. Any suggestions please?! I would really love to play this one!
Hello Rir! It’s possibly another issue with this older game cooperating with new PCs. Would you please email us at techsupport@herinteractive.com and let us know which operating system (Mac) you are using? Thank you!
I cannot get Waverly to download! I get the error No new executables found!
Maybe the installer failed…?
If you tried to install somewhere other than C: drive (drive_c in the wrapper) then you will get this message too. All software must be installed in C: drive.
Hello Jenny, if you are still having trouble, would you please email us at techsupport@herinteractive.com? Thank you!
Done!
I can’t get 1.3.8 to work for Stay Tuned for danger. I get the same error message that says something about trees and the program being terminated. Has anyone had success with Stay Tuned for Danger on other wineskins besides 1.3.8?
My Mac is not allowing me to install STFD with C:\ as the path. What can I do?
I’m also having this problem! Customer service said they can’t help troubleshoot with Wine- has anyone figured out a workaround to this?
I just got this same error message for Stay Tuned For Danger. I followed all the wineskin instructions but when I try the “test run” it doesn’t work! Frustrating 🙁
Hello Tara! Would you please contact us at techsupport@herinteractive.com so we can help you further? Thanks!
Hi! I did all the steps through step 12, I tried to complete the rest but it won’t seem to work with my games (Legend of the crystal skull & The White Wolf of Icicle Creak) Is there something that I’m doing wrong? I really want to play these games but its not working:/
Hello Isabelle! Would you please email us at techsupport@herinteractive.com so we can help you further? Thanks!
Has anyone recently lost the ability to make new wrappers? I just bough two new games and it’s saying the 1.13.8 engine is corrupted every time I try to make a new blank wrapper. Any ideas?
Hi Danimals111! Would you please email us at techsupport@herinteractive.com and let us know which Nancy Drew games you trying to get working? (Unless you are referring to something different?)
Would this work for Midnight in Salem as well? I’m stuck at loading in my PC once I run the game, it turns out my PC’s specs aren’t enough for Midnight to run successfully, so I want to try playing it on my Mac instead.
Hi Jen! If you have the game disc, there’s no harm in trying this method on your Mac. If you have trouble, we might be able to help you, but if you have trouble with the software, you may need to contact Wineskin’s tech support.
Help! Despite many tries to update the wrapper 2.6.2, it will not install, therefore I can’t create a new wrapper
Hi Jenna! Are you trying to use Wineskin? I suggest checking out Wineskin’s forums or tech support as they would be much better help.
Stuck! I successfully used the 1.3.34 wrapper for Blue Moon Canyon but once I go back to the train after getting to Copper Gorge the screen freezes up! I have played a lot of the game and want to be able to finish it.
Oh no! Do you think the crash was because of a wrapper issue? Or a game issue? If you think it was a game issue, please contact us at techsupport@herinteractive.com.
Which engine am I to choose to download Ghost at Thornton Hall?
Hi Emily! All the system requirements for Ghost of Thornton Hall can be found on the game web page here. GTH will run on Mac 10.5.8 through 10.11. It should also work on the operating systems before Mojave as well.
I have purchased Legend of the Crystal Skull and was using Wineskin to play the game on my mac. It was working fine but the game keeps crashing and now it won’t open. Any ideas on how to fix this? Have others had this problem?
Has anyone had issues with a double cursor showing up? In the installation video, it said that a double cursor would show up in the test run only. However, I just purchased Treasure in the Royal Tower from HER and the game works fine, but the game cursor and the Mac cursor is distracting during gameplay to the point of being unplayable. Perhaps there’s a way to disable one of the cursors? Thanks in advance!
Hi Emily, I don’t think this is something that can be fixed within the game – but if you are using a port like wineskin, I suggest asking their tech support team about the cursor issue.
I really appreciate you posting these! I’ve already downloaded several older games that I used to love when I was a kid. Excited to play them again!
Hey! I’m having issues where everything installs correctly but when I change the setup to auto run.exe and then try to test run I just get test run complete. Anyone else have this issue?
Hi Sarah! If you are using Wineskin, please reach out to Wineskin’s technical support. Otherwise, feel free to email us at techsupport@herinteractive.com for basic installation help. Thanks!
I have two games on one disc (Haunting at Castle Malloy, and Legend of Crystal Skull) and a the Wineskin software pulled up something that says “Filter Engine List” what exactly am I supposed to do from here?
Hi Emily, unfortunately, I am unfamiliar with using Wineskin. By best advice is to seek tech support or read up on Wineskin’s FAQs for this issue. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help. 🙁
If you have two game files on one disc, you will have to figure out which executable file (a file that ends in .exe) is which game. You should then be able to download each one into their own wrapper. I recently downloaded and played those two games and using the recommended WS8 1.3.18 worked really well for me! I hope this helped.
Were the issues with downloading Stay Tuned for Danger ever resolved? I had the digital download but every time I try to delete everything except for C:\ on the destination folder screen, it won’t let me move on. It says there has to be something after the C:\ in order for the download to move on. Just curious if this was ever figured out 🙂
Hi Dev! We haven’t found a perfect fix or workaround for Apple’s 64-bit game restriction, but if you are talking about playing or installing Stay Tuned for Danger on a PC, please email us at techsupport@herinteractive.com so we can help you out further. Thank you!
I found that the game runs best on WS8Wine.1.2.3 on my Mac.
I also downloaded x11 from XQuartz because I heard that helps.
There’s still a little bit of lag while playing, but not as bad as I previously experienced on other Wineskin Versions.
Also you can see the photos you take on the phone, which is important for one of the tasks!
I found that Warnings at Waverly Academy runs best on WS8Wine.1.2.3 on my Mac.
I also downloaded x11 from XQuartz because I heard that helps.
There’s still a little bit of lag while playing, but not as bad as I previously experienced on other Wineskin Versions.
Also you can see the photos you take on the phone, which is important for one of the tasks!
The link to download wineskin doesn’t open up to anything anymore and I can’t find any versions online that actually work?
Hi Yovana! It appears as though their web site isn’t working, but the Wineskin app is still available. I updated the link to take you to the source where you can still download this. 🙂
I am so frustrated trying to get Stay Tuned for Danger to work on my MAC (OS X El Capitan). Literally every other download has worked following HER’s instructions expect for this one.
Like others, I repeatedly get “Unable to open CIF / CAL TREE file in Unable to open CIF / CAL TREE file in – all tree data has been cleared.”
And when I follow the instructions to make the path during installation only “C:\” I am told I need to enter a full path with a drive letter and it will not proceed further unless I resort to the c drive in program files, which I know will not work.
What is the resolution here? I have now bought this game TWICE.
Hi Alison! Stay Tuned for Danger was only made for PC, unless you try using a port like Wineskin or Bootcamp to play as a virtual PC, which may work. In that case, check out the installation instructions here for some help.
If installing under Linux, use PlayOnLinux with the same wine versions listed for Mac (1.3.18 and 1.3.34)
Workarounds for common problems:
(These might work for Mac as well, especially if using PlayOnMac.)
If text doesn’t show up, try (backing up first, then) replacing the libz.so* files in PlayOnLinux/wine/linux-x86/1.3.18/lib (or 1.3.34/lib) with the existing libz.so library on your system. Mine was at /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libz.so.1.2.11 Make one copy for each file removed, naming it the same as the removed file (libz.so, libz.so.1, and libz.so.1.2.3.4)
If phone pictures don’t work, get libpng12-0. Your system likely has a more recent version than this one, so try placing it in various wine/POL folders. I accidentally installed it instead, but that can cause problems.
21 Warnings at Waverly Academy is slow/laggy for me. Using wine 1.2.3 (with the above workarounds) is a bit better, but still laggy.
Hi. I am wondering if anyone has recently tried following these instructions for wineskin. I have followed the process but I do not have the option of installing the WS8 engine. I only see WS9+ options. I am trying to play Treasure in the Royal Tower on a Mac and I can get through all of the steps but it’s extremely glitchy.
Hello, whenever I open Wineskin using the above link, it doesn’t have any engines or wrappers. Is anyone else having this problem? Is there another way to download Wineskin with the engines?
I am having this exact same problem! I cannot seem to find a solution to it. So frustrating!
The original Wineskin is not being developed, but a new version on GitHub is being maintained and regularly updated.
Sometime in the last year the current developer maintaining Wineskin removed the “Set Screen Options” button entirely. There is a workaround supposedly buried in the Winetricks settings, but I’m having significant trouble figuring out where to find it.
Has anyone been able to get these games to work on the latest versions?