After 80 years in the detective biz, you’d think that Nancy Drew was ready to hang up her magnifying glass. But if Her Interactive’s newest game is any indication, Nancy is firmly committed to living on the edge.

In Nancy Drew: Trail of the Twister, the world-famous detective goes undercover with a team of storm-chasing researchers. Nancy’s new friends are competing for a $100,000,000 prize that will be awarded to whomever can work out a foolproof way to predict tornadoes. This meteorological equivalent of the X-Prize is driving somebody to crime. The team is plagued by mysterious equipment failures so Nancy is sent in as a ringer to try to clear away the fog and get the real data. Loosely based on The Mystery of Tornado Alley (Nancy Drew #155), Trail of the Twister presents players with interesting puzzles, intriguing characters and a compelling environment.

Like most of the twenty-one previous entries in the Nancy Drew game series, Trail of the Twister uses 3D pre-rendered backgrounds and animated characters to give life to the story. From the moment Nancy arrives at the farmhouse/base-station players will get to explore a rich and convincing environment while meeting interesting characters and solving challenging puzzles. The first-person view puts the player (literally) in the story and aids in making the action immersive.

For example, as part of her assignment working on the team, Nancy has to file papers according to strange, symbol-based filing system. The instructions are presented in the form of a classic logic puzzle which players solve by manipulating file folders and labels. Although the puzzle isn’t terribly difficult, it serves as a warm-up for the challenges to come. The file folder metaphor gives the puzzle a reason to exist and feels holistically integrated into the storytelling rather than bolted-on. Similarly, another early puzzle challenges players to work out optimal coverage for a storm-warning siren system. Again, the clever us of theme serves to reinforce the game rather than detract from it.

On a larger scale, Nancy also has to solve the mystery and this involves meeting and interacting with a wide variety of interesting characters. The voice acting is surprisingly strong, which serves to punch up the emotional appeal of the game.

Nancy will also learn about tornadoes and get a chance to experience some of the most frightening weather anyone can face. The compelling setting serves as a strong backdrop to the main action of the story.

In a nod to being “player friendly” Trail of the Twister also offers two different difficulty settings -- Junior or Senior Detective -- to make the action accessible to a wider audience. It also has a “safety net” which will return players to a point before their fatal mistake.

In short, Trail of the Twister is a worthy successor to the previous twenty-one adventures which have sold a total of more than eight million copies. But, in the best tradition of detective stories, Her Interactive has one more trick up its sleeve. Trail of the Twister is the first Nancy Drew game to support the Mac OS.

So, if you’re a Nancy Drew fan, a mystery fan, or just a fan of a good adventure Trail of the Twister is well worth the $19.99 price tag.