Just in time for Halloween, the kids and I got a copy of Scooby-Doo! First Frights, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment's hottest new mystery to test out. Scooby Doo is big at our house so when the package arrived, the kids tore into the game and started playing before I knew it.
Consistent with the cartoons and movies, the game features Scooby and the gang solving mysteries. I played the game with my 9YO son and 6YO daughter. We play a lot of video games at our house, and this one was easy to maneuver. Even I, the resident "lame player" could figure out what to do easily. Together, we flew through two levels easily. It was fun to see the gang as high school students and Scooby as "hungry and brave" as ever! The kids especially were impressed with Scooby, who wielded sausage links as his weapon of choice to battle monsters, witches and the phantom.
According to my 9YO, "It is a lot like Lego Star Wars, where you have to unlock levels. You get Scooby Snacks for points and battle monsters." So if you or your children like playing Lego Star Wars, then this game should be right up their alley. Fred has super strength and Velma can operate all special machinery and devices. Each character can also wear disguises that can give them special powers to explore the various settings, such as the Phantom Cruise Ship or Haunted High School.
Overall, the game was fun and easy enough for the entire family to play. Maybe it is because we are avid players of Lego Star Wars, but the controls were easy to use and the story sequence logical. There is a strange laugh track embedded in the game, but we eventually learned to ignore it. We agreed that the best part of the game is unmasking the bad guy at the end of each level, where each time the bad guy blames Scooby and those meddling kids. This time around some of those kids are mine.
Developed by Warner Bros./Torus games Pty Ltd, Scooby Doo First Frights is rated “E10+” for Everyone, and now available for a suggested retail price of $19.99. It is available for the Wii, DS and PS2.
GIVEAWAY: I am giving away a copy of Scooby-Doo! First Frights to one lucky reader. Simply leave a comment telling me who you favorite Scooby character is and why. You must leave a valid email. Winner will be picked using random.org on November 1, 2009. You can have an extra chance at winning by tweeting this contest.
FULL DISCLOSURE: This is an uncompensated review. Warner Bros. sent a copy of this video game for me to review and has kindly offered to provide a giveaway prize. Thanks Warner Brothers!
