If it's October, that must mean another Nancy Drew adventure is close at hand, and sure enough, Her Interactive has just released a demo for the teen sleuth's upcoming Japanese mystery, Shadow at the Water's Edge.

This time around, Nancy has decided to take a break (yeah, right), and heads to Japan with her pals Bess and George. Of course, they just happened to pick a centuries-old ryokan where ghostly occurrences are being reported. Sounds like a mystery, all right, but "is there a shadowy specter haunting the placid inn or is something far more sinister driving away business?"

The demo takes place at the beginning of the game, as you check Nancy into the ryokan just in time to see the first unexplained event in person, then explore this traditional Japenese setting to begin getting acquainted with both a culture and language that are completely foreign to Nancy.

The demo can be downloaded from the Her Interactive website, where you'll also find a free online minigame and trailer for the upcoming adventure. For more information about the haunted setting of Shadow at the Water's Edge, be sure to check out the game's Paranormal Tours site.