Steam had a major sale for their event called Steam Detective Fest. All detective, noir, or puzzle games were on sale. I played several game demos, and oddly enough, the demo I liked the most wasn’t a detective game at all. As I browsed through their sale, I saw almost every single Nancy Drew PC game was over 40% off. I purchased eight games that I don’t own yet. This should keep me busy for a bit. I decided to play Nancy Drew: The Phantom of Venice first. Nancy Drew: The Phantom of Venice was one of my favorite Nancy Drew games that I played.

Nancy is sent to Venice to investigate a series of art thefts. The art thefts are linked to a person called The Phantom of Venice, who wears a mask and a cape during the heists. The Italian Police tell Nancy of a potential suspect, so she spies on them from a nearby building. From there, Nancy is sent all around Venice and even has to perform a heist herself!

I’m biased, as someone who went to Italy last year, I like the setting of the game. While I haven’t been to Venice myself, I thought the game captured the city well. Nancy takes the gondolas to get from place to place and will often walk to the various Piazzas that she needs to get to. Speaking of navigation, I thought this was straightforward. There’s a map of the sites in Venice, and Nancy needs to click on a location that’s adjacent to her. Depending on the location, she may walk, take public transit, or take a gondola to get places. I liked being able to explore multiple locations, unlike some Nancy Drew games, where she’s stuck in one place for the game’s entirety.

Speaking of straightforward, I think this Nancy Drew game was one of the easier games to follow. There are some Nancy Drew games where I spend an hour talking to people, calling Ned, or trying to advance the plot because the next thing I need to do hasn’t been unlocked. I like how this game sends Nancy exactly where she has to go, and each to-do list in her notebook leads exactly where it should. It makes for an easier gameplay experience.

It’s not a Nancy Drew game without mini-games and puzzles. One of my favorite games is a card game that Nancy plays in a nightclub called Scopa. The game itself is pretty straightforward, and while I lost the first game, I was able to win the second fairly easily. There are two instances in the game where you have to play Scopa to get information. I looked this up, and the rules in the game appear to be accurate representations of how Scopa is played. I could have spent multiple rounds playing Scopa for no other reason than I enjoyed the game. The puzzles in this game were also interesting. It’s funny, there’s a locked door in the lobby where Nancy stays. I took the time to pick the lock because if I have learned anything from a Nancy Drew game, if there’s something locked, it’s probably important. Oh, there was nothing. I ended up getting a chicken egg for my efforts and an award at the end of the game. I think that’s the one time I have ever experienced that in a Nancy Drew game.

After I complete a Nancy Drew game, I sort it into one of three Steam folders: Games Completed, Games I Love, and Not Super Interested in Playing. I’d list Nancy Drew: The Phantom of Venice in the Games I Love folder. This was one of the easier Nancy Drew games to follow. I loved the location, and the mini-games kept me entertained. The next Nancy Drew game I will play will either be Nancy Drew: Secret of the Scarlet Hand or Nancy Drew: The Secret of Shadow Ranch.