Nancy Drew is just an average teenage girl, but she's got a not-so-average pastime. When she's not at school or hanging out with her pals, Nancy's an ace detective - there's no case she can't crack! With a little help from her friends and a lot of brainpower, Nancy will get to the bottom of any shifty business and that's just what she's about to do in Nancy Drew and the Phantom of Venice.

There's a troublemaking thief on the loose in Venice and the Italian police need Nancy's help to nab the culprit. As Nancy, you'll gather clues by talking to people you meet around the city, fill your inventory with items, and test your wits with a variety of challenging puzzles. You'll direct Nancy's movements through the city as she follows up on leads and spies on suspects.

Nancy may be working nonstop on the case, but that doesn't mean there won't be some fun and games along the way! She'll learn to play Scopa, an Italian card game and she'll get to test out her moves on the dance floor. Along with Nancy, you can even practice speaking Italian. Nancy also has a wicked wardrobe. You can help her pick out an outfit and dress up before a hard day of sleuthing.

When Nancy interacts with other characters, you'll select her responses from predetermined dialogue choices. You can read all the character dialogue in text boxes onscreen, but you'll want to make sure to turn your volume up so you get to hear all the fun character voices. The great soundtrack, the voices, and the realistic 3D characters really help you get into the story (and you won't want to miss the singing gondoliers!)

The minute Nancy leaves her room, there's a huge, amazingly detailed city for you to explore. It's awesome, but it can leave you wondering which way to go next! There's not a whole lot in the way of directions - although you do get a map - so get ready to use your head and rely on your best guess. Most of your exploring will be done by trial and error instead of following a pre-set list of instructions, so you'll probably make a few mistakes. Don't let that discourage you. Nancy Drew is a genius when it comes to being a detective! Some clues are tricky to figure out, but persistence pays off. You can also select "Junior Detective Mode" when you begin a game to make things a little bit easier.

If you do make a really bad mistake that costs you the game, you've always got the Second Chance button to help you fix your mistake. How awesome would it be if you had one of those in real life!

(The Phantom of Venice is game #18 in the Nancy Drew series. If this is your first encounter with a Nancy-style mystery and you're wishing there was more, there are tons of other episodes for you to choose from. Grab that notebook and get your sleuth on!)