Those familiar with the Scooby Doo CD-ROM series will find this title quite a bit different. While the gameplay featured in each of the previous games was quite similar to the next, this one has a different format. The graphics remain exceptional, but the game is considerably less complex and involving. This is great news for younger fans of the show (approximately ages 6-9) who won't have to struggle with an intricate story line.
After signing in to the adventure, children are prompted to select a difficulty level--Spooky (Easy), Spookier (Medium), or Spooktacular (Hard). A video introduction sets up the story line. Scooby and the gang are visiting the Kudzula County Museum of Natural History where a "groovy" new T-Rex skeleton exhibit has been unveiled. However, a mysterious Glowing Bug Man is threatening to close down the museum for good. Could this be an inside job?
There are five main suspects, all museum employees. Their files are available to players at any time. When kids uncover clues, they return to the office and use a handy grid that allows them to cross off or highlight each suspect with the ultimate goal of identifying the culprit. They may have found a tennis wristband, for example, and reading the files of each suspect will let them know whether or not the employees enjoy a game of tennis!
Clues are uncovered by participating in, and winning, the game's activities located in such rooms of the museum as the Rocks and Minerals Exhibit and the Cafeteria. In the Archaeology Exhibit room, kids solve excellent mosaic puzzles in order to earn a clue. In the Hall of Dinosaurs, they attempt to get a T-Rex head out of the door by moving crates around (this is similar to the Rush Hour game). Labels have been removed from the ice cream machine in the Cafeteria, and children will need to use logical and deductive thinking in order to find the right ingredients (such as Fossil Frappe and Geology Grape). The ant farm in the Insect Exhibit Hall is all mixed up, and players need to lead the black and red ants to their respective "homes" by manipulating gates in the maze.
The difficulty levels of the program, selected at sign-in, determine the complexity of the puzzle games. For example, as levels advance, solving the mosaic puzzle requires rotating puzzle pieces; and the quantity of unknown ice cream flavors increases in the Cafeteria activity.
Scooby Snacks are required for coaxing Shaggy and Scooby into places they have deemed "too scary". Players are provided a few of these coveted snacks at the start of the game, but they need to earn more of them by playing a game in the Excavation Pit. This slightly tricky activity involves maneuvering Scooby along conveyor belts in order to collect bones.
Once all the clues have been earned, children return once again to their logic grid with the exciting prospect of fingering the culprit. An unmasking sequence ensues whether or not players have chosen the right suspect. This sequence is great fun--it runs very true to the cartoon series and it offers a reason for the crime. The program offers different clues and culprits next time children play the game.
Our eight-year-old tester completed all three difficulty levels of the game in a few hours. On one hand, this suggests the game might benefit from more content. On the other, it's also a testament to the appeal of the game!
