CLICK & DOUBLE CLICK: READY FOR A GOOD MYSTERY? INTERNET DISHES UP EVIDENCE, CLUES (COLUMN 113)

Up for a good mystery?

Joni: Ever since I was a kid, I've loved mystery books. I'm not sure I would be a good detective, but I've always enjoyed reading a good puzzler. Agatha Christie is my favorite.

Peggy: The Internet gives you a chance to read about your favorite mystery writers and try your hand at a few whodunits yourself.

Joni: Arts and Entertainment Network loves its mysteries. They have a Web site devoted to that, aptly named Mysteries.com

mysteries.com

Peggy: When you visit, you will find a mystery of the day and a quick poll. We were asked, "Which of the following detectives would be able to solve a crime the fastest?" Poirot, Kinsey Milhone, Inspector Morse, Jessica Fletcher or Kojak?

Joni: My opinion is Poirot would take the longest, but he would do it the best.

Peggy: Jessica Fletcher was edging out Poirot. Of course, she has only an hour to get it solved. You can read other poll results, including "Who is your favorite mystery writer?" Topping the list is Patricia Cornwell.

Joni: They have lots more questions on the message board. What is your favorite Hitchcock film and why? I would have to say "Rear Window."

Peggy: The site also maintains a database of 10,000 mysteries. It includes everything.

Joni: Here's something I didn't know about Poirot. He was only 5'4". He was the only fictional character ever honored with a front-page obituary in the New York Times.

Peggy: Back to the mystery of the day. Today's is called the "Last of the Royal Blood." It's only two screens, and then it asks you for the solution. They give you the evidence, and then they give you the solution.

Joni: They also have an archive of other mysteries. Today's mystery may stay up longer than a day. I don't know. Next stop is the online Mystery network.

www.mysterynet.com

Peggy: Here they have "fiendishly clever" mini-mysteries, new every day. They also have a vote-and-solve, and some teasers by members. Members get to submit their own mysteries.

Joni: They also have an interactive mystery soap opera. The next day's action is determined by what readers recommend.

Peggy: They also have a mystery area just for kids. They also have lessons plans for teachers to use mysteries in the classroom. Mysteries are great for critical thinking skills, reading and writing skills, they explain.

Joni: That's pretty cool, learning with mysteries. They also have mystery polls and discussions. This week's question is "What is your favorite time for crime: The Victorian Age, the Ancient World, the Middle Ages, or Other?" I like the Victorian Age.

Peggy: Sorry Joni, "Other" is winning. A lot of these readers prefer mysteries set in modern times. They have lots of discussion areas, by books, authors, characters, crimes, true crimes.

Joni: This is a pretty extensive site. They have biographies of many mystery writers, including Agatha Christie. They also have a history of the mystery from Poe to the present. Here's a link to the official Web site of Nancy Drew. When I was a kid, Nancy Drew was my heroine.

www.nancydrew.com

Peggy: I too read Nancy Drew. When you get to the opening screen, they ask you to click for kids or grownups. They have online mysteries and Nancy Drew adventure games using ShockWave.

Joni: We had to maneuver Nancy through a maze, collecting magnifying glasses and guiding her to her blue convertible. I'm not too good at these games, but there were a lot of players who were slower than me.

Peggy: Nancy Drew first started solving mysteries in the 1930s. In all this time, she's matured from 16 to 18 years and has solved more than 350 mysteries.

Joni: Sherlock Holmes must be one of the most famous detectives of all times. Let's visit a site dedicated to him, the Sherlock Holmes Museum at 221b Baker Street.

www.sherlock-holmes.co.uk

Peggy: They say that 221b Baker Street is the world's most famous address. Visitors are in three categories. Those who know very little, experts and Sherlockians, who really know everything.

Joni: Here's the Sherlock Holmes quiz. We got six of 10 right, but they didn't tell us the right answers or even which ones we got wrong. That's not nice. But they did say we may be inspector material.

Peggy: Here's a mystery thriller game online called "Who Killed Laura Mitchell." Police have arrested her boyfriend, but he says he is innocent and needs our help.

www.who-done-it.com

Joni: You have to do your detective work, by reviewing Web data and hacking into computers. There are clues everywhere. This would be like being a real detective. You can visit the city's Web page for the town where the crime took place. You can read the newspaper articles on the murder case.

Peggy: Wow. This site is incredible. This might take a while. They do offer hints, big hints or little hints. Let's try the big hint.

Joni: The big hint helps track down the most information. You also have to get a private detective's license. This is kind of cool. Someone put a lot of work into this site. The question is how long would it take to solve the mystery?

Peggy: If you are a fan of the Mystery! series on PBS, you may enjoy their online version at

www.pbs.org/wgbh/mystery/

Joni: We went for the ShockWave mystery game. It's really cool. On the opening screen your mouse turns into a spotlight, and you can uncover the dead body.

Peggy: This is tricky. Use the spotlight to maneuver through the murder scene and find the villain. Cute. And Joni, you are a pretty good detective after all.

Joni: Just send my check to the Missourian. What's your favorite mystery site? E-mail us at click@semissourian.com

See you in Cyberspace.

~Peggy Scott and Joni Adams are members of the Southeast Missourian online staff.