Nancy Drew: The Phantom of Venice [Download]

by HER Interactive

• Master Italian As You Dig For Clues.
• Create A Fashion Statement Or A New Disguise.
• Discover Creative Ways To Earn Euros.
• Deal Out The Fun In The Italian Card Game Scopa.

Product Details

• Downloading: Currently, this item is available only to customers located in the United States and who have a U.S. billing address.
• Note: Gifting is not available for this item.
• ASIN: B0034XS84K
• Release Date: July 8, 2008
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (86 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,589 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #5 in Video Games > PC Games > Games > Puzzle

Product Description

Platform: PC Download

The stakes have never been higher as Nancy Drew joins an international undercover investigation to track down a phantom thief in Venice. The police have few leads and you might be the only one who can stop the thefts of historic artifacts Can you spy on suspects and collect clues before the crime syndicate catches up to you?

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 58 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Nancy Drew game! July 9, 2008

By Nicki

Platform for Display:PC

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

IF your like me you have probably played all the Nancy Drews games. (some probably more then once) but if not dont worry. The good thing about these games is you can start at any game and not feel like youve missed anything. Nancy Drew and The Phantom of Venice was a great game. I have to say out of the 18 games there are this one is in my top 5.The Story line is very exciting. An elusive phantom is stealing from Venice. He wears a mask and no one can seem to figure out who he (or she!) is! so thats why the police of Venice call on YOU as Nancy Drew to crack the case. Your undercover and ready to uncover all the secrets Venice has to offer. The characters are fun to talk to, the music is new and goes right along with the Venice theme, the puzzles and games are a challenge and the graphics have progressed so much in the last few games. If you cant wait for the game after this one there is a teaser about the next game after you finish this one...But im not going to tell you what it is! Thats something your have to sleuth out on your own!

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Game! July 15, 2008

By Hope to be helpful...

Platform for Display:PC

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

OK. I've played all of the ND games, and though this is not as good as the first ones, it is very good. Here is my review.

The Plot: In this game, you play as Nancy Drew who is working for the government organization called the GdiF. Your goal is to uncover the phantom who has been stealing Venice's valuable artwork. Even though the idea of a teenager working for the government is highly unlikely, you were somehow able to believe it in this game! I would give the plot a 10/10.

The Puzzles: The puzzles in this game were very easy in my opinion. They were not nearly challenging enough. The good thing about the puzzles were that many of them were more like mini-games. Therefore, you can play them over and over. I give the puzzles a hesitant 7/10.

The Characters: The characters were very well developed in this game. They were all realistic and believable. You felt like you knew them by the end of the game.

The Length: This game was just a tad short. Not as short as the previous game, Creature of Kapu Cave, but still pretty short. It only took me 3 days to solve! I give the length a 7/10.

Overall: This game was good. It was almost as good as the first ones, but not quite. If this is your first ND game, I would start with a different one. If you've already played the other games, I think you will really enjoy this one!

Hope I helped!

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Nancy's Most Exciting Mystery Yet! August 27, 2008

By A. Gooding

Platform for Display:PC

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

Nancy Drew 18: The Phantom Of Venice

-Before I Begin...
My review will be spilt up into sections and have a in-depth look at that topic. If you hate reading medium/long reviews or just don't have the patience I would not continue reading, but if you want to learn the most about the product before you buy it you'll continue.

-Interface
The game uses a point-and-click interface (meaning you click in a direction to move from environment to environment), which is easy to use and has been the preferred way for all eighteen games. On the bottom of the screen are the inventory, checklist, notebook, PDA (new icon for this game), save, load, settings, and exit icons. On the top of the screen there is Nancy's purse and her fashion icons. The fashion icon shows an outline of Nancy and what she is currently wearing. The PDA icon opens Nancy's PDA which has three features which come in handy with her undercover mission. I like this interface and I find it easy to use and the "Second Chance" option is great because you don't have to restart the whole game if you don't want to.
*****

-Plot
Nancy is off to Venice, Italy, where she has been hired by the Gdif (Italian Police) to stop Il Fantasma (Phantom) dead in its tracks. This game has by far the most detailed plot in the series. The story has many twists and turns and leaves you guessing until the very end. It is so detailed and intriguing that you never want to stop playing the game. The plot flows along nicely and you don't come to an unexpected abrupt end like some past games (Usually leaving you with many questions instead of answers). Kudos to the writers at Her Interactive because the story is so great!
*****

-Characters
There are five characters, each with different personalities, in this game. There are three main characters who preside at the Ca' Nascosta: Colin Baxter, Margherita Fauberg, and Helena Berg. Colin is an art restorer (with a rather noticeable crush on Nancy) who is working for Margherita. Margherita is a snooty Venetian socialite wannabe who owns the Ca'. Other characters include Enrico Tazza, the owner of Casa Di Giochi (House Of Game), and Antonio Fango, the electronics engineer and possible criminal Nancy is sent to spy on. Phone characters include Ned, and Prudence Rutherford, from Secret Of The Scarlet Hand (her voice can get very annoying after a while though!) All in all these characters were great. However one of the characters you do not even talk to at all in the game, but still a very important character. There was more character interaction than previous games but still not as much as I would have liked.
****

-Setting & Graphics
The setting was absolutely beautiful! It was so incredibly lifelike, from the glittering water to the old architecture in the squares and palazzos. It really was top notch. There were people talking in the background in Italian and although you couldn't see them it made the environment come to life with the rich Italian culture. There is even an activity in which you must know basic Italian to complete a mission. The graphics were also very beautiful and detailed. Each game progresses more and more with the graphics. Overall the Setting & Graphics were one of the best features of the game and really boosted the experience.
*****

-Puzzles/Activities
There was a good mix of puzzles and activities in this game, and there were no filler puzzles. Also a good thing is absolutely NO chores unlike ICE, which included constant cooking & cleaning. There were a lot of new puzzles, plenty of codes and numbers and a lot of snooping & spying. The "Nancy Undercover" idea is really stressed in this game. You have to wear disguises, you have to plant bugs in people's everyday items, spy on someone and eavesdrop a couple times. Nancy was definitely on a mission in this game! On a difficulty level there is a good mix of easy, medium, and a couple of hard puzzles. None of the puzzles were overly frustrating.
*****

-Ending
Sensibly the ending is the hardest part of the game. You have to navigate your way through a very different take on a maze. I don't want to spoil the ending, but I definitely found the ending pretty tough because it also includes a timed puzzle. Anyways, the ending made sense and everything clicked without a hitch, so you won't be like "What the heck?" when you get to the end. Also all your questions are answered at the very end, so no worries.
*****

-Overall
I can honestly say this is the most exciting Nancy Drew game to date. The setting was magnificent, the puzzles weren't overly challenging but some were, and the plot was simply outstanding. You will not be disappointed with this game at all, it really is a incomparable to previous games like ICE, DAN or CRE. Her Interactive did a fantastic job on this game, I can't wait for the next one! The Haunting Of Castle Malloy

Add all these up and divide by 6...
5 *'s (Interface)
5 *'s (Plot)
4 *'s (Characters)
5 *'s (Setting & Graphics)
5 *'s (Puzzles/Activites)
5 *'s (Ending)
= 29 Stars Divide By 6 (Categories) = 4.8 = Rounded to 5 Stars

-Recommended Games
Danger On Deception Island
Last Train To Blue Moon Canyon
The Secret Of Shadow Ranch
The Haunted Carousel

Thanks for reading my review!