I Have a Crush on a 1930s Girl Detective

Yeah — I’m a gamer girl.

But my go-to game isn’t Call of Duty, Rainbow Six Siege or League of Legends.

It’s Nancy Drew and I’m what they call a master sleuth.

HeR Interactive has made a total of thirty-three PC adventure mystery games based around the Nancy Drew franchise since 1998— and I’ve played, and solved, all of them.

A decade ago they were new, exciting, challenging and something my older sister and I could look forward to every time one was set to be released. Now they’re nostalgic, but still just as exciting and challenging.

Across the thirty-three stories, there is something for everyone, secrets to be revealed and thrilling mysteries to be solved.

You would think they’d run out of precarious situations to put our heroine in, but just like the book series that ran for more than forty years, these games continue to delight and surprise us.

From uncovering ghosts during the renovation of an old Victorian mansion or chasing a jewel thief through the city of Venice to catching who murdered the engineer while trapped on the same moving train or exposing the secrets of archaeologists at an ancient site in Egypt — these adventures are where I found my love for mystery.

Looking back, for most of the series, the graphics were absolutely horrendous. You can’t blame them, it was the early 2000s.

And no, they’re nothing necessarily to gawk at now — but they’ve come a long way.

And maybe older me has rewritten my memories, but I recall being amazed at the snowy mountain tops of the Canadian Rockies while investigating the Icicle Creek Lodge in “The White Wolf of Icicle Creek” or feeling like I was actually running through the jungle while tracking an ancient legend through Hawaii in “The Creature of Kapu Cave.”

These are simple point-and-click games. But through unique storylines, thought-out characters and beautiful soundtracks, little girls (and big girls, too!) everywhere are transported to another world.

Fun facts and valuable life skills are integrated into every game, especially while you navigate all the different puzzles and challenges.

Nancy and I have learned Morse code, studied the periodic table, read sheet music, fixed the gears in a clock and operated a photolithography machine.

I still remember some Scottish from when I had to translate Moira’s lunch order in “The Silent Spy.”

Sure, that’s not too helpful, unless I decide to take a trip to Scotland.

But there were some more relevant things to be learned as well. Like to be careful in the risks you take.

You’re right, Nancy. I shouldn’t go into that creepy dark cave without a flashlight and batteries.

Nancy also taught me persistence. That door may be locked, but there’s got to be another way in!

And networking! I don’t know the guy that runs the lab, but the woman I met while buying food at a local restaurant, might.

Nancy is assertive, bold, clever, resourceful, brave, independent and encouraging — she’s empowering.

Nancy Drew games gave me my love for mystery, but they also gave me a whole lot more.