Always loved the Nancy Drew books? Does your imagination place you in her shoes as you read while she uncovers yet another mystery? Fancy yourself as a bit of an amateur sleuth? The arrival of the first Nancy Drew interactive computer game in 1998 gave fans everywhere the chance to find clues and unravel dark deeds while they lived out their fantasy of being a kid detective.

That first game was based on the Nancy Drew book, Secrets Can Kill, which was published in 1991. You play as Nancy and explore the virtual environment collecting clues, interacting with other characters, and trying to piece together the puzzle until you get the baddies and solve the mystery. Despite being aimed at a younger audience, the adventures had enough wrong turns you could make that could ultimately see your demise! A re-mastered version of this game was released in 2010 to coincide with the 80th anniversary of Nancy Drew’s first appearance in print.

It seemed only natural that with such a large and loyal fan base that Nancy Drew would use the blossoming computer games industry to further her appeal. While some thought it may devalue or dumb down the core values of why they enjoyed reading the books, the games have in fact exposed a new audience to the character and her engaging adventures.

As computer technology developed so did the games. The richness in graphics has given the experience of feeling like you are actually in a movie. The characters moved from 2D to 3D with a much greater range of interaction between them. The ‘point and click’ type of game play has largely remained, with some reviewers commenting on it’s variable success depending on which game you had.

There are now twenty three games available to play on your PC. You can try a mini version of most games online for free. For all you Wii lovers out there, The White Wolf of Circle Creek is available for your console as well as Nintendo DS offering it’s users a few Nancy Drew mysteries to solve. And don’t despair if you are on the move and need your sleuthing fix—there has recently been the release of Shadow Ranch, a game to download to your iPhone.

Such is the appeal of Nancy Drew that even these games have fan forums and guides online to help you when you get stuck. Alternatively, you can just swap viewpoints with fellow die hard fans to discuss why, or why not, the game isn’t as true to the book as you would have liked or perhaps they should have included some different characters.

There certainly doesn’t seem to be any sign of the games stopping soon! Many people in their 30′s or 40′s plus who were brought up reading Nancy Drew can re-experience the stories from the point of view of Nancy and revisit all their favourite tales. The future of the wannabe sleuths searching for their mystery addiction in the first person looks secure!

 

Nancy Drew Game List

Nancy Drew Walkthroughs, Hints, Tips and Cheats

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