History YMMV / WhereInTimeIsCarmenSandiego1997

** In the final case, one of the clues that directs you to the present day is, "she planned to start a countdown at the latest space shuttle launch, saying the age of ''Vostok'' was old news." The space shuttle was itself retired in 2011, fourteen years after the game's release.

** Case 4, set in Heian Japan, takes place entirely at nighttime and features some fairly eerie, unsettling sounding musical tracks, particularly the track that plays when you need to adjust the last mirror in the Spring House and the track that plays inside Murasaki's dresser room with the moonlight now making the zodiac names written on the drawers.

** Case 4, set in Heian Japan, takes place entirely at nighttime and features some fairly eerie, unsettling sounding musical tracks, particularly the track that plays when you need to adjust the last mirror in the Spring House and the track that plays inside Murasaki's dresser room with the moonlight now making the zodiac names written on the dwarers.

* NightmareFuel: [[MeaningfulName Jacqueline Hyde]]. Given who she was named after, it's not a surprise to find that she has another personality, but it ''is'' a shock when her other personality expresses itself in a harsh, distorted, ''loud'' voice that comes out of nowhere.

* ThatOneLevel: 1493. You have to sail all the way across the Atlantic ocean, ''tile by tile'', twice. Plus, there are the winds that can push you back in the opposite direction both ways. Even more annoying, you hear the ship bell and Rock Solid announce what direction you're heading in ''every time you move''. Slightly mitigated by some areas of the map where the prevailing winds will move you multiple tiles at once, which can shorten the journey by about 20%. Also, when you revisit a square on the map, the arrows will still be visible, making it easier to choose your next method of movement.

** The Inca Empire case. If you're not good at math and you don't have a calculator, doing the subtraction might take a while- and then you have to remember how to correctly put the numbers down.
** Case 7 is a trial-and-error level. While every other level does have hints and help, correctly balancing the salt block is close to impossible unless you know that [[spoiler:the second-smallest and the second-largest molds of gold are the only ones that don't need to placed on the scale]].

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: For some reason, Polly Tix gets ''far'' less screentime that any of the other Good Guides, with only two cases. Granted, one of them was ThatOneLevel, but still...Apparently, she was supposed to get a third mission inbetween Hatshepsut and Julius Caesar.

** If you are tone deaf ({{Hollywood|ToneDeaf}} or otherwise), Beethoven's era is borderline impossible to complete, and it's literally {{Unwinnable}} if you're ''actually'' deaf. [[DevelopersForesight While the game has a special "deaf-friendly" setting]] in the options menu.

** If you are tone deaf ({{Hollywood|ToneDeaf}} or otherwise), Beethoven's era is borderline impossible to complete, and it's literally {{Unwinnable}} if you're ''actually'' deaf. [[DevelopersForesight While the game has a special "deaf-friendly" version of the era]], [[GuideDangIt good luck figuring out how to activate the feature.]]
** The ending. You chase Carmen through all the places you've been before. Good luck figuring out where to go next.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: One potential explanation for the Good Guides' apparent IdiotBall is that they know just where the thieves are at, but they want ''you'' to figure it out. Especially prevalent in 1808, since Renee Santz should have spotted [[spoiler:the sousaphone]] ''right off the bat''. Of course, this doesn't excuse the IdiotBall of the people in said-timeframe ''not spotting the thieves themselves''.

* WhatAnIdiot: Carmen tells her minions to tear up the note she gives them so the ACME agents can't track them.\\
'''You'd Expect:''' For them to destroy the note entirely.\\
'''Instead:''' All of them simply tear the note into three pieces, with it never occurring to just completely obliterate it entirely and therefore not have their steps retraced.\\
'''Compounding it:''' Many things in the environment make this even more obvious as an option. For example, in the first level, you find a scrap of note near Hatshepsut's feet ''right next to a pair of flaming torches.''

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: For some reason, Polly Tix gets ''far'' less screentime that any of the other Good Guides, with only two cases. Granted, one of them was ThatOneLevel, but still...

* ThatOneLevel: 1493. You have to sail all the way across the Atlantic ocean, ''tile by tile'', twice. Plus, there are the winds that can push you back in the opposite direction both ways. Even more annoying, you hear the ship bell and Rock Solid announce what direction you're heading in ''every time you move''.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: One potential explanation for the Good Guides' apparent IdiotBall is that sometimes they know just where the thieves are at, but they want ''you'' to figure it out. Especially prevalent in 1808, since Renee Santz should have spotted [[spoiler:the sousaphone]] ''right off the bat''. Course, this doesn't excuse the IdiotBall of the people in said-timeframe ''not spotting the thieves themselves''. (Honestly Edison? Dee Cryption was ''RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF YOU''.)
* AnnoyingVideoGameHelper: {{Averted|Trope}}; the Good Guides tend to pipe in with somewhat useless commentary, but they won't try to "help" you unless you ask them to. So you can simply go through and not speak to them and only listen to the commentary (which often serves as exposition.) and they won't pipe in and try to help you.
* NightmareFuel: [[MeaningfulName Jacqueline Hyde]]. Given who she was named after, it's not a surprise to find that she has another personality, but it ''is'' kind of a shock when her other personality expresses itself in a harsh, distorted, ''loud'' voice that comes out of nowhere.
* ThatOneLevel: 1493. You have to sail all the way across the Atlantic ocean ''tile by tile'' and ''repeatedly'' click on it, twice. Plus, there are the winds that can push you back in the opposite direction both ways, though they also can help navigation to your destination. Think that's annoying enough? Well Rock Solid announces what direction you're heading in ''every time you move'', and you hear that annoying ship bell ''every time''.

** 1776 also deserves a mention. It's one of the longest cases in the game, is filled with GuideDangIt moments (what do you mean, [[spoiler: you can use the Minuteman's fishing pole]]?) and putting the Declaration of Independence back in order can easily be ThatOnePuzzle, ''especially'' if you're not American.
** If you are tone deaf -- Hollywood or otherwise, Beethoven's era is a pain in the ear. Music pun totally intended.
*** But if you remember the ''Disney/{{Fantasia}}'' [[Disney/Fantasia2000 films]], the case as a whole will at least be a bit easier.
*** The era is flat-out {{Unwinnable}} if you're ''actually'' deaf. [[DevelopersForesight Good thing the game actually has a special "deaf-friendly" version of the puzzle]], [[GuideDangIt if you know how to activate the feature.]]

*** Although it's actually fixed, not randomized, and you can TakeYourTime all you want - and they usually give you some good clues about where she went. If anything, this was a FinalExamBoss.

** Case 7 is a trial-and-error level. Every other level does have hints and help, including the one with UsefulNotes/YuriGagarin. You may know the answers to the quiz, but correctly balancing the salt block is close to impossible on the first try unless you know that [[spoiler:the second-smallest and the second-largest molds of gold are the only two molds that don't need to placed on the scale]].
* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: For some reason Polly Tix gets ''radically'' less screentime that any of the other Good Guides, with only two cases. Granted, one of them was ThatOneLevel, but still...

'''Instead:''' All of them simply tear the note into three pieces, with it never occurring to just completely obliterate it entirely, which not only is completely idiotic, it also means every single one of them can have their steps retraced.\\
'''Compounding it:''' Many things in the environment make this even more obvious as an option. For example, in the first level, you find a scrap of note near Hatshepsut's feet. ''And she's standing next to a pair of flaming torches.'' Nice one, Sir Vile.

* UnwinnableByMistake: In the Aztec level, it's possible to accidentally duplicate the headdress, and become unable to beat the level as you cannot leave the room with a headdress in your inventory.

** The ending. You chase her through all the places you've been before. Good luck figuring out where to go next.

*** But if you remember the ''Disney/{{Fantasia}}'' [[Disney/Fantasia2000 films]], the Pastoral part will at least be a bit easier.

*** But if you remember ''Disney/{{Fantasia}}'', the Pastoral part will at least be a bit easier.

* ThatOneLevel: 1493. You have to sail all the way across the Atlantic ocean ''tile by tile'' and ''repeatedly'' click on it. Think that's annoying enough? Well Rock Solid announces what direction you're heading in ''every time you move'', and you hear that annoying ship bell ''every time''.

*** The era is flat-out {{Unwinnable}} if you're ''actually'' deaf. [[TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything Good thing the game actually has a special "deaf-friendly" version of the puzzle]], [[GuideDangIt if you know how to activate the feature.]]

** 1776 also deserves a mention. It's one of the longest cases in the game, is filled with GuideDangIt moments (what do you mean, [[spoiler: you can use the Minuteman's fishing pole]]?) and putting the Declaration of Independance back in order can easily be ThatOnePuzzle, ''especially'' if you're not American.

** Case 7 is a trial-and-error level. Every other level does have hints and help, including the one with YuriGagarin. You may know the answers to the quiz, but correctly balancing the salt block is close to impossible on the first try.
* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: For some reason Polly Tix gets ''radically'' less screentime that any of the other Good Guides, with only 2 cases. Granted, one of them was ThatOneLevel, but still...

* StopHelpingMe: Averted; the Good Guides tend to pipe in with somewhat useless commentary, but they won't try to "help" you unless you ask them to. So you can simply go through and not speak to them and only listen to the commentary (which often serves as exposition.) and they won't pipe in and try to help you.

* WhatAnIdiot: Carmen tells her minions to tear up the note she gives them so the ACME agents can't track them. None of them were smart enough to actually ''destroy'' the freaking thing, and it's really obvious- for example, in the first level, you find a scrap of note near Hatshepsut's feet. ''And she's standing next to a pair of flaming torches.'' Nice one, Sir Vile.

* ThatOneLevel: 1492. You have to sail all the way across the Atlantic ocean ''tile by tile'' and ''repeatedly'' click on it. Think that's annoying enough? Well Rock Solid announces what direction you're heading in ''every time you move'', and you hear that annoying ship bell ''every time''.