Introduction
You [Nancy Drew] have found a summer job assisting an etymologist with her bug studies. Flown to the gorgeous Hawaiian beaches, you even encounter a couple of special members as you attempt to help your insect friend. Of course, knowing the unpredictable Nancy Drew games, it's pretty obvious that something completely unexpected occurs when Nancy arrives, and you'll be thrust into a very puzzling tropical mystery right off the bat...

Plot
The plot in this game sways from a dramatic increase in an insect's population, the strange decrease of a pineapple's, and the mysterious trashing of a scientist's camp. All are very different therefore very confusing to identify while actually playing the game. What I mean by that is you're not even aware of what you're trying to solve. Nothing is ever unfolded to release the clues of a huge mystery, mostly it's a lot of little mysteries you are forced to solve for no apparent reason. Even as you watch the ending, the culprit does not explain why he/she made you do all the other little mysteries instead of the one they thought was the main one (which I clearly didn't think was the main one until he/she said it to my face). Plus, the reasons for the other tiny mysteries are poorly explained.
The plot receives a 4.5/10

Graphics
Must I say the setting and landscape oriented graphics are simply astounding, their gorgeous features crisp and lovely to gaze at for mesmerizing periods of time. Everything is like a painted pictures of a tropical paradise, and although I've never been to Hawaii, I imagine it looks this way. The grass is tall and swaying, the waves gently lapping at a neatly formed shore with individual perfected grains of sand. It's very detailed and really sets the story, making you feel like you're actually in Hawaii. The character graphics are a different story. Everybody looks shiny. Their heads look rock hard and too round. They're like plastic dolls. And something that's minor but has always bothered me is that nobody has skin blemishes. I'm sorry, but I can see characters occasionally having perfect faces, but I don't think I've ever seen a blemished face once in the games I've played, not even from teenagers. So do some teens a favor and give someone a zit or something to make us feel better Thank you!
The graphics get a respectable 7.5/10.



Characters
Hmm... What can I say about these characters... well, there's more than enough. These are the most annoying virtual characters ever imagined and created. You have to deal with nasally bug scientists, pesky, fat hotel owners hoping to make a quick buck, irritating daughters, and scientists with very, very bad temper problems. Besides having to practically babysit every character, each has a very different personality that is most likely very unappealing. Fortunately, you bump into two very enjoyable characters at the start of the game, whom you even get to switch back and forth (into bodies) with the click of a cell phone! This is a very fun feature. What I will say about the pesky characters is that they're very unique; each is different and has their own distinct personality, even though annoying.
The characters receive a 9/10 purely for being creative.

Difficulty
This game is not difficult. Most parts appear to be difficult, but are actually quite shockingly simple. Some puzzles are not difficult, just incredibly tedious. There is one job you have to complete for the etymologist that you will find unbelievably irritating and tedious, but it cannot be classified as hard. That's the hardcore truth. This game is also very short- at least for me. I might've used a walkthrough for very minor things once or twice, but I believe I completed this game in about a day when other Nancy Drew games took over a month or two. Sure, it was fun, but it really makes me wonder if it's worth the money to zoom by so quickly.
The difficulty gets a 6.5/10. Not very hard at all, but tedious enough to raise the rating.



Ending
Out of all Nancy drew games that I've played, this ending is by far the worst. It even beat Danger by Design, which at the time I believed was the worst ending possible. But this ending was so horrible I didn't even think it was the ending. I thought it was just another simple puzzle, and I expected more when it was over and was very surprised when Nancy seemed to act like she'd conquered world hunger. HER was doing awesome! Everything was built up for such an incredible ending- the suspense, scariness, and setting- and they just didn't deliver. Awfully disappointing, because the ending could've been great with what was already constructed.
The ending receives a 1/10.

Overall Rating
Based on the actual calculations (done on calculator), The Creature of Kapu Cave gets a 5.7, but if you ask me it receives at least a 7.5. The ending brought the overall score down, but I believe it definitely deserves higher.

Should I buy this game? Every Nancy drew game deserves to be bought, it just depends on the difficulty matter as far as I'm concerned. If you like more challenging ND games, you probably wouldn't enjoy this one as much, but it still is awfully enjoyable to play.

Thank you for reading my review!