Introducing the Game Book: Nancy Drew Meets the iPad

Everyone's favorite teenage detective is back, with a 21st-century makeover. As of today, Nancy Drew and the Shadow Ranch is now available to iPad users. But today's tech savvy young sleuths won't simply be able to read about Nancy's adventures, they'll be able to participate in them. Shadow Ranch is the inaugural game book: "the first in a series that will up the ante for publishers cranking out e-books by the dozen," explains Venture Beat's Dean Takahashi. "If this combination of gaming and storytelling takes off, you can expect to see the genre of game books open up in a big way on smart phones and tablets."

The game book, featuring rich graphics and a variety of games, challenges, animations and sounds, is geared toward girls between the ages of 9 and 14. The company that created the series, Her Interactive, hopes that a sense of nostalgia for Nancy Drew will encourage "women who grew up with the books (such as Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayor and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton) to read the game book with their children, Takahashi reports.

This could be the start of whole new genre expanding the market for e-books. Cult of Mac's Nicole Martinelli is just one person already hoping "theyll make more for grownups." Dan Brown could probably use some extra crosswords and surround sound...but is Wuthering Heights ready to go interactive?