Forget Columbo, Jessica Fletcher or even Scooby, Shaggy and the Mystery Inc gang.

If there's a crime to be solved, call Nancy Drew, the smart, inventive and unflappable teenager with a nose for trouble.

For more than 75 years, the literary heroine created by Carolyn Keene has been delighting generations of readers with her daring exploits, from her very first investigation The Secret Of The Old Clock to the most recent tome, Werewolf In A Winter Wonderland.

Director Andrew Fleming (The Craft) gives Nancy a makeover of sorts in this jolly romp, which should play well with young female audiences.

In her home town of River Heights, resourceful teenage detective Nancy (Emma Roberts) is a legend, helping the local police to put the bad guys behind bars.

It's a sad day indeed when Nancy and her father, widowed attorney Carson (Tate Donovan), move to the West Coast, where the amateur sleuth enrols in Hollywood High School and instantly clashes with her fashion conscious classmates.

Carson hopes the move to a new school will distract Nancy from her sleuthing.

Little does he know that his daughter is already beginning to unravel the mystery of suicidal Hollywood actress Dehlia Draycott (Laura Harring).

Nancy joins forces with her best friend from back home, Ned (Max Thieriot), to solve the mystery.

He secretly fancies Nancy but she already has a new admirer Corky (Josh Flitter), who bombards her with compliments.

Following the trail of evidence, Nancy uncovers a web of intrigue involving businessman Dashiel Biedermeyer (Barry Bostwick), single mother Jane Brighton (Rachael Leigh Cook) and creepy handyman Leshing (Marshall Bell).

As the young sleuth edges closer to the shocking truth, she receives threats. But she doesn't scare easily and she's never too far behind the bad guys in her trusty blue roadster.

Nancy Drew is a gently paced mystery adventure that remains faithful to the spirit of the books, whilst introducing contemporary elements including a bizarre cameo from a Hollywood superstar playing himself.

Roberts is a likeable and sassy heroine, whose only failing is her complete inability to realise her true feelings for Ned.

Ritter provides most of the comic relief as the aspiring ladies man who needs to work on his chat-up technique, while Thieriot flashes his best puppy-dog eyes.