Nancy Drew goes snooping on the DS

Detectives seem to be stampeding on to the Nintendo DS these days. First, it was ace attorney Phoenix Wright's courtroom dramas, then the film noir-style Hotel Dusk: Room 215--not to mention Touch Detective.

The latest investigator to snoop on the handheld is Nancy Drew, in her new interactive adventure titled Nancy Drew: Deadly Secret of Olde World Park. The game will use the touch screen to search for clues, undertake tasks, talk to other characters, and play minigames.

In the game, Olde World is a new multimillion-dollar theme park created by billionaire Thaddeus Belmont and is designed to bring jobs and tourist dollars to the sleepy, small town of River Heights. However, on the night before the park is due to open, Belmont has disappeared, and Nancy is called in to investigate.

The story is told over 15 chapters and tasks will become more and more difficult as the game continues. Minigames include a task designed to build conversational rapport with witnesses to get them to reveal information by choosing how to question them, with options ranging from lighthearted to accusatory. Others include a lock-picking game and sneaking using shadows to access new areas.

Nancy Drew: Deadly Secret of Olde World Park is developed by Gorilla Systems, published by Majesco, and due for a European and US release in Q4.