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Nancy Drew: The Phantom of Venice | 
| From: Her Interactive
Category: Video Games
List Price: $19.99
Buy New: $18.99
Rating:  26 reviews
Sales Rank: 296
Format: Cd-rom
Platforms: Windows Vista, Windows Xp
Genre: adventure_games
ESRB: Everyone
Media: CD-ROM
Batteries Included: No
Age: 5 - 20 years
Operating System: Windows Vista
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 0.1 x 0.1 x 0
MPN: 767861000685
Model: 767861000685
UPC: 767861000685
EAN: 0767861000685
ASIN: B0018XU9SQ
Release Date: July 8, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Features:
| ⋅ | Master Italian as you dig for clues | | ⋅ | Create a fashion statement or a new disguise | | ⋅ | Travel the canals and listen to singing gondoliers | | ⋅ | Deal out the fun in the Italian card game Scopa | | ⋅ | Cover costs with creative ways to earn Euros |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
In the most exciting adventure yet, players will work to uncover the mastermind behind a series of unsolved thefts that have taken place in Venice -- one of the world's most unique cities known for its interlocking canals and sleek gondolas. In the 18th installment of the award-winning adventure series, the Italian police have asked Nancy Drew for help in unraveling a crime ring that is threatening to steal all of Venice's priceless artifacts. Assuming the role of Nancy, players arrive in Venice during Carnival and begin taking on a series of challenges, including an undercover spy mission for the Italian police. Along the way, players must take advantage of the unique Venetian culture such as learning the language and navigating the transportation system (gondola or walking) to accomplish the mission at hand. As the game progresses, the masked thief becomes bolder and players will need to correctly identify the phantom before he or she goes too far.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 21 more reviews...
 Another clever game October 11, 2008
Acire
Don't worry, no major spoilers!
I have played every ND game except for the first one, the Final Scene, The Creature of Kapu Cave, and the latest one, the Haunting of Castle Malloy. Needless to say, I can compare this one to all of the other ND games, which have been consistently phenomenal. Even the older ones are quite good, so the newer ones have a lot to live up to.
Pros
-The Phantom of Venice has incredible scenery (of course, it's in Venice) but it was even better than Danger by Design, which was set in France.
-The story was pretty good, and the plot introduced something new... Nancy actually being "officially" on a mission to catch a thief. For other games, it was more of "Nancy is here to kind of investigate" or "Something terrible happened, so vacation is canceled and time to sleuth." Also, the beginning of the game is thrilling (though a bit scary).
-There are a lot of extra things to do if you want, and fun ways to make euros (more than one, unlike in Old Clock or Danger by Design)
-Many characters, keeps you guessing who actually is behind it all
-Challenging but not impossible puzzles
-Ability to change clothes (a first!)
-At the end (NOT A SPOILER) it tells you what "extra things" you did, and gives you stars for it (other games just gave you a name)
-In other games, you may have thought that your alarm clock is your trusty friend (like in Icicle Creek, it really helped to skip to chores and stuff.) But in this game, you don't even have to worry about time! The only time change you need is with your bed, when you choose to sleep (kind of like in Danger by Design or Stay tuned for Danger.) Though unlike Danger by Design, Nancy doesn't complain about "Oh, it's late. I better go home." and skip to the next day. In this game, I think I slept a total of one night, and that was necessary. Besides this, you were free to go about your tasks.
-You still have your notebook to remind you of things.
-They recreated the opening song, and made it a lot cooler with graphics, etc. to set the game up.
Cons
-There is a new addition to the "interface." Instead of just a normal arrow, if you are "supposed to find something" your arrow is green. However, once you find it, it stays green. The green arrow is more irrelevant than it is useful.
-Again, it's one of those games that doesn't have Nancy's cellphone. You always have to use the phone in your room. However, the good thing is, you aren't required to call many people. In fact, you could probably get away without calling someone at all, because all the "necessary" phone calls will eventually just call you when you are in your room. Plus, you have your pager, which you can use to call the police (the people you're working for.)
-Some parts seem somewhat boring (one major part that I will not discuss because of spoilers.)
-You get a map, but you can't "visit" all the cool places in Venice. Only the places you really need.
-The gondoliers are terrible singers. You have been warned.
-Your game saves at every "second chance" thing, and it fills up all of your slots, and can get quite confusing at times.
-Instead of the actual thief, the character behind it all is just kind of someone in the crime ring. Too bad... this also got somewhat confusing.
-It might take a while to figure out the pager. The only feature on it that you regularly use is the "call" button, and the others, you start to wonder what they are for.
-The final chase is a bit confusing.
-The real real beginning starts with that stupid sequence of Nancy running up to her room and talking nonsense.
-Some of the earlier games had a LOT of really interesting history behind the games (like the secret of the scarlet hand) but this one was kind of modernized, and in fact, didn't really explain anything of history or Venice at all.
-Didn't have any of those cool cooking things (like in Shadow Ranch)
Conclusion
Another great game from the ND series and HerInteractive. Though it may seem as though there are a lot of cons, they are easy to deal with and nothing is too terrible. (I'm playing it for the second time!) It was a great improvement from the other Europe game, Danger by Design. It was also better than some of the other older ones, and overall was pretty amazing. Can't wait to get Haunting of Castle Malloy!
Thanks for reading!
Never had to cheat!! September 22, 2008
Northern_grl (Northeast U.S.A.)
I know that a good number of adults and older teens play these games, but it was great to have one my 11 and 14 year olds could play without cheating. I mean, the games say ages 10 and up, after all.
I had stopped playing them myself, because they were too busy and boring, but this one was really fun, even for me. The dancing was hilarious. I liked the clues. The dress-up was especially fun for my girls to play.
For us, this game was really fun. Like the haunted carousel. Silly and fun. Not some big drawn-out drama.
Nancy Drew PC Game - The Phantom of Venice August 31, 2008
D. Moore (Missouri USA)
Another great PC game from "Her Interactive". Parents and grandparents can
feel safe when their children are playing these games -- they provide fun
and skill to PC game players of all ages.
Nancy's Most Exciting Mystery Yet! August 27, 2008
A. Gooding
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
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!
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