Definitely in my top 3 favorite Nancy Drew games - great atmosphere (scenery and music), great story and characters, and you get to do a lot of spy-like tasks. If you haven't tried one of these games before this a perfect one to get you hooked.

I've played most of this series, so I knew what to expect when I started the game. I wouldn't recommend this particular game to a new player, because other games in the series were better designed and, ultimately, more enjoyable. Try Nancy Drew: The White Wolf of Icicle Creek or Nancy Drew: The Secret of Shadow Ranch if you're looking for somewhere to start.

Like all games in the series, you play as Nancy Drew, the teen super sleuth who somehow manages to get tangled up in mysteries wherever life takes her. You choose to play either as a Junior or Senior Detective, with no checklist of tasks to guide you if you choose the more difficult setting. In this game, Nancy is aiding the "Italian FBI" as an undercover agent, trying to discover who is the masked thief stealing priceless artifacts from high profile sites around Venice. You speak with suspects, solve puzzles, and find clues that help you discover the true identity of the Phantom.

I'll do the cons first.

Cons:
+ The mode of transportation is pointlessly tedious
+ Making money requires dancing on stage in a tight, leather cat costume, which is strange for a game designed primarily for children
+ The same wasp sprayer from Nancy Drew: Legend of the Crystal Skull returns for this game, which makes for a near-impossible task to complete when playing with a touchpad
+ Repeatedly translating words into English by clicking on them with the dictionary grew tiresome quickly
+ Locked doors must be unlocked each time you enter
+ The PDA used to communicate with Nancy's contact with Italian law enforcement is confusing

Pros:
+ The game had puzzles of different levels of difficulty and of vastly different styles, with some reminiscent of puzzles from earlier games in the series
+ No switching back and forth between characters, as is the case with other Nancy Drew titles
+ Lots of places to explore and tasks to complete
+ The story was enjoyable, not as spooky as others in the series, and complex enough to make the case a challenge

Though not the best game in the series, The Phantom of Venice is still solid and worth playing. Compared to the rest, I'd give this title a 7 out of 10.

This was the first ND game I played on Steam and the first ND game I've completed. I was a little surprised to realize that I had to learn Italian and German. On the one hand, you get a German dictionary which translates it for you, but it was nice to test out my German lessons. I had been struggling with Italian and worried I wouldn't be able to play as you have to learn the words for things in the game to do a couple of the tasks. It was actually not as difficult as I thought.

The story was an interesting one and the rendered images of Venice Italy are rather pretty. I just couldn't get enough of playing Scopa either. I may have to play this game again just to learn the value system again for the card game to play with friends. As always, the puzzles were a bit of a challenge, some more than others, and others were easier. I suppose it just depends on what sorts of puzzles you're good at and how you think.

There were so many locations on the map though and we don't get to see them as we are pretty much only allowed to go to 5 or 6 locations total. It's a pity, since I would have loved to have seen more of the places on the map. It's a minor nitpick, but it still would have been nice. I also have not played the games in order. I like that not too much information is given about Prudence for those that DO play out of order. However, I do think some of the dynamics were a little complicated. I've learned to click EVERYTHING in this game.

I'd play it again, and for anyone who likes a relaxing puzzle mystery game, this is a nice one. Very few rage moments in this one for me LOL.

Really good game. Challenging in some parts. Love all characters and personalities.

This game is heaps of fun!
It's awesome how you can go to tons of places in Venice, and buy food, clothes, etc!
But, I'm really annoyed that you can't take screenshots, or use shift+tab.
But! Overall it's a super fun game!

Boring and slow as hell. You are required to play this zero fun card game thats mandatory to progress the story. I'm dumb and the AI cheats so ♥♥♥♥ it.

If you are a fan of either Nancy Drew or point and click adventure games, then you'll enjoy this game. There are some interesting and fun puzzles, and trying to solve the mystery is enjoyable as well. There were a few parts that were tedious and downright unenjoyable like a puzzle where you literally match colors for 30 minutes or a card playing minigame where your opponent has unskippable annoying as hell lines where he counts the number of points you each get.

Other than a few points in the game that were just annoying, the game was pretty enjoyable. It's a point and click mystery game; its exactly what you'd expect it to be.

Brings back wonderful memories from when I used to play this game. Love it!

I was splendidly surprised about this game. I thought it had a great story, beautiful atmosphere, and suspense. If you played Nancy Drew: Silent Spy, it's like this where you're working for an intelligence group as a spy. My only issue was the money making part. Dancing was confusing, and selling flowers hurt my hand when trying to kill all the bees.

Overall, I liked this game. There were many places to travel, the plot was complex, and there was a good amount of suspense.

I found this game to be extremely enjoyable. The story is interesting, with a lot to learn about through talking to the other people (or snooping through their stuff). Each of the characters have their own personality. You also have the option to change your outfit, which then leads to unique discussions of its own. The only part is when you have to get a jewel. It is quite difficult, but fortunately you don't have to start all over if you fail. For any price on here it is well worth it.