One of the most successful literary franchises for children is the Nancy Drew series. The amateur detective has solved many mysteries and crimes, delighting her legions of fans. In addition to the books, various Nancy Drew games have introduced the character to ongoing generations. The books were written by different authors, the first ever novel appearing in 1930.

Lots of children and young teenagers identify with the plucky heroine and they like to imagine themselves in her world of finding clues and bringing crooks to justice. The well-known games manufacturer, Parker Brothers, introduced the first board game based on the sleuth in 1957. This pioneer Nancy Drew game proved very popular and the entire family could settle down to play together. It was called the Nancy Drew Mystery Game and it comprised of a game board, dice, 40 mystery cards, and four metal cars. The locations used for the board were taken from various novels in the series.

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Having moved from being someone who used to film cameras exclusively to someone who now uses both digital and film, I have found that I’m confused as to what is the best way to get my prints. When I take film pictures the choice is easy enough. I go to my local photo developer and get the prints done, as well as getting copies of those prints on a CD so I can share them online. When it comes to my digital photos however, I have more options if I want to make prints. I can go with online photo printing, or I could use a kiosk at my local film store.

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Traveling is something that most dream about doing, though there are some that like to stick close to home no matter what happens. Some dream of going across the oceans to various foreign countries to experience something different from home, and some prefer to see the sites within their own country borders. Whatever the case, traveling is a lot of fun, but it can also be very costly. That is when using travel forums for research can be very rewarding. Not only can you get tips for where to go and what to do, you can also find some good ways to save money on your next vacation.

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When I first got my Verizon phone, I had just a few options. Because I was only going to use my phone on rare occasion, I took the cheapest one they had. I paid about fifteen dollars a month to keep my phone on, and I rarely ran out of time. When I had to get a new phone, I was told that my old plan was history, and I had to choose from the newer Verizon prepaid wireless plans that they had to offer. Some of them are just as good as what you get with a contract, but they are much freer from restriction.

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With crime rates increasing across the country, it seems that even middle-class suburbs are no longer the safe havens that they once were. I don't consider myself an alarmist by any means, but I do take safety seriously — particularly where my family is involved. That's why I've spent the last couple of weeks shopping around for a good home security system.

I have never had a home security system before, so I was under the impression that they were extremely expensive, complicated to set up, and required long-term contracts with an alarm monitoring company. However, after I started looking into these products a bit more, I learned that none of my initial fears have any real merit, as home security systems have become far more affordable to the average consumer in recent years.

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Sometimes you find the best travel websites in the least likely of places. Although I have been a world traveler for many years, my Internet experience with online travel deals has been rather limited. I am more naturally comfortable with booking my travel arrangements through more traditional means. Nonetheless, like everyone else I like to save money. The way that I manage to do it may surprise you.

As you probably know, finding the best travel websites to plan your vacations starts with finding cheap airfare. What you may not know is how different the different cheap airline ticket websites are. A lot of people get a good deal on one site one time and give up on other sites. In my experience, however, you have to search at least half a dozen airline ticket websites before you can find the best air ticket price and be sure of it. That means looking through Kayak, Expedia, Travelocity, and quite a few others to boot.

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There are some things in life that virtually all of us loath and despise. One of them is going to the dentist, and the other is getting groceries. Fortunately one of these only comes about every six months, while the other haunts us on a weekly basis. What is it about going to the supermarket that we despise so strongly? Oh wait; I know the answer to this one. First you have the nasty parking lot chaos. Good luck finding a parking space on the weekend. Better yet, good luck maneuvering around the countless other cars and women with shopping carts. But that's not the worst of it. Nope! The worst comes once you enter that grocery store.

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As the owner of an electronics store specializing in audio equipment, I get asked all the time what the best computer speakers are. People are often surprised at my reply. I succeed in my business by trying to give honest answers and not automatically directing people to the most high-tech and sophisticated audio there is. As an honest salesman, I have to say there is no simple answer.

If you are an ordinary user, the best computer speakers for you might just be the ones your computer came with. Most laptops come with computer speakers that have a pretty high level of fidelity. What they don't have, however, is much bass. If you are only using your speakers for casually putting music on in the background, a little bit of gaming, or voice over IP, what you have is probably just about perfect. If you want a little bit more body, you can add a woofer to fill out the sound a little bit, but there's no need to spend a lot of money on a sophisticated audio setup.

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One of the most exciting products to hit the market is the mini digital camera. If you've ever wanted a camera that you can easily carry with you at all times, this product is ideal for you. There are some reasons that you might want to consider investing in a mini digital camera for your personal use.

First and foremost is the investment, which is next to nothing. You can find a very affordable mini digital camera for very little money. This is a great benefit for anyone who likes to take a camera along for quick pics but doesn’t want to risk losing a very high priced piece of equipment.

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Are you ready for that long road trip this holiday season? You've got someone house-sitting for you, the dog is at the neighbor's, all the bags are packed, and you're just waiting on the kids to get buckled in for safety. Uh oh, wait. You didn't even think about it. You've got a 23 hour drive ahead of you with two little ones in the back seat. What are you going to do to amuse them? How will they stay entertained for an entire day and night of travel?

This is actually a big issue. If you have children of your own, then you're probably familiar with what I'm talking about. I don't care if they're toddlers or in the sixth grade, they sure as heck won't like sitting in that back seat for hour upon hour. Fortunately there is a solution to this redundant dilemma, and it concerns the vehicle you're traveling in. I'm talking about car DVD systems. Have you got one yet?

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