Nancy Drew: The Phantom of Venice is a video game based on the Nancy Drew books. Although there is a book that shares the title with the video game, the case does not appear to be the same. Nancy Drew: The Phantom of Venice is mystery number 18 in the series of games. Fans of Nancy Drew books will find familiar elements in the game. For example, Nancy can call Ned, who is staying with Joe and Frank Hardy, for a hint. After Nancy apprehends the thief, Nancy explains that her motivation is not personal gain but to see justice done. This sense of doing what is right fits with the character of Nancy presented in the books. The game is played on a PC and is controlled by using the mouse. There are some issues with the mouse control, especially when trying to turn the point-of-view in a circle. There are two different levels of play, Junior and Senior. Junior play provides a task list as well as slightly easier puzzles.
The player is Nancy Drew invited to Venice to solve a slew of burglaries committed by “The Phantom.” The player needs to use a variety of methods to solve the puzzles presented, ranging from finding hidden objects to understanding Italian directions. It is important to pay attention to what Nancy is wearing, as clothing changes are essential for solving some of the puzzles. There are many instances of dialogue with various characters. This dialogue is closed-captioned but there is no option to fast forward through the spoken parts. The dialogue can make game play drag. Because of the skills needed to solve the mystery, I would recommend this game for players aged 10 and above.
This game was tested on a PC running Windows Vista; there did not appear to be any glitches or program issues. Her Interactive indicates The Phantom of Venice will run with Windows XP or Vista. The game is available as a download or on CD. Nancy Drew: The Phantom of Venice was awarded the Parents’ Choice 2008 Gold Award for Best Software, ages 10-18.
Nancy Drew: The Phantom of Venice.1. 2008. Her Interactive, Inc. Nov. 20, 2010.
