LADYDRAGON.COM - Her Interactive to Debut Nancy Drew: The Haunted Carousel at E3

Thursday May 01, 2003

Her Interactive to Debut Nancy Drew: The Haunted Carousel at E3

Highly Acclaimed Computer Game Maker Also Extends Publishing Deal with Infogrames and Ghost Dogs Wins Fifth Consecutive Parents' Choice Gold Award

Her Interactive, a developer of interactive entertainment for girls and women, today announced that the eighth title in the highly acclaimed Nancy Drew CD-ROM series, Nancy Drew: The Haunted Carousel, will be unveiled at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), happening May 14-16 in Los Angeles. The game will be available for demos by appointment at the show.

In other news, Her Interactive also re-signed a two-year affiliated label agreement with Infogrames, which grants Infogrames Inc. (Nasdaq:IFGM) the exclusive U.S. rights to distribute Nancy Drew: The Haunted Carousel and a second as yet to be named title to retail outlets nationwide. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Adding to the momentum of the Nancy Drew series, Nancy Drew: Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake recently received a Parents' Choice Gold Award, making it the fifth consecutive Nancy Drew title from Her Interactive to be so honored. The prestigious award is sponsored by the Parents' Choice Foundation, one of the top U.S. organizations evaluating products geared to children.

About Nancy Drew: The Haunted Carousel

Nancy Drew: The Haunted Carousel, geared toward players ages 10 and up, puts the player into the shoes of Nancy Drew as she explores a seaside amusement park that's swirling with fear, secrets and crime. An antique carousel horse has been stolen and now, late at night, the merry-go-round begins operating on its own. Are the painted ponies searching for their missing lead horse or is there another explanation for these midnight rides? The answer is well hidden and finding it will take courage and skills that Nancy will need to use in getting information from an eclectic and diverse group of characters. These people include the park's bookkeeper, Joy Trent; the chief engineer, Ingrid Corey; Harlan Bishop, the security officer and Elliot Chen, the park's art director.

As players try to solve more than 30 activities and puzzles within the game, they will wander through elaborate lifelike amusement park settings that include a carousel, roller coaster and haunted house. Players have the ability to keep track of their clues using an in-game laptop and if they get stumped, players can use built-in game hints such as the "phone a friend" feature where Nancy uses her cell phone to call pals Bess, George and the Hardy Boys. Players can also reference www.herinteractive.com, a community where players can get live online hints and tips as well as share their own clues with other Nancy Drew players and fans. As with previous Nancy Drew games, The Haunted Carousel offers two difficulty settings, Junior and Senior Detective, allowing both experienced players and new comers an entertaining experience.

Nancy Drew: The Haunted Carousel carries an ESRB rating of "E" (Everyone) and will be distributed by Infogrames, Inc. The game will be available this summer through retail outlets nationwide, including Wal-Mart, Toys R Us, Best Buy, and Electronics Boutique, as well as through Amazon, Scholastic and many other online and catalog outlets.

System requirements for the game include: Windows 95/98/2000/Me/XP; 166 MHz Pentium processor; 16MB RAM; 130 MB available hard disk space; 16-bit color graphics video card; 8x CD-ROM drive; 16-bit Windows-compatible stereo sound card; mouse and speakers.

About Nancy Drew

Having debuted in 1930 and still going strong in 2003, Nancy Drew is the smart, independent, gutsy, and resourceful teen detective who can crack even the toughest case. Published in 22 languages and with more than 100 million copies in print worldwide, Nancy Drew has engaged readers and served as a role model globally for generations.

About Her Interactive

Her Interactive creates intelligent interactive entertainment for girls of all ages. The company designs, develops and publishes award-winning games that offer role-playing, mystery, and adventure that girls and women find both challenging and fun. Her Interactive's Nancy Drew series offers exciting gameplay without violence or gender stereotypes. More information about the company and the Nancy Drew games can be found at www.herinteractive.com.