Scooby-Doo! Classic Creep Capers Review

The game is brief, but the tale it tells provides plenty of classic Scooby-Doo antics.

Zoinks! Shaggy, Scooby, Fred, Daphne, and Velma now have their own Game Boy Color mystery to solve. In hot pursuit of the Ghost Thief, Scooby and the gang lose track of the culprit when the trail goes cold in front of the Dr. Jekyll estate. With the Mystery Machine out of gas, it's up to you to help the kids gather clues from the mansion, solve the case, and track down some fuel. The game is brief, but the tale it tells provides plenty of classic Scooby-Doo antics.

Scooby-Doo! Classic Creep Capers is a point-and-click adventure game, much in the same vein as Sierra's classic King's Quest series or the ephemeral Maniac Mansion. There are six chapters to complete, each of which has its own clues to gather for advancement of the story. In the beginning, you'll switch between characters and search every room of the mansion and its adjoining lab. Soon, however, Daphne ends up kidnapped, Fred is imprisoned, and it's left to Shaggy and Scooby to rescue them. When your character approaches a "hot spot," an onscreen menu lights up, which enables you to inspect, search, use, or take an item. A quick tap of the B button also lets you use items in your inventory to unlock various puzzles. It may sound dry, but only Shaggy would think to freeze a sausage link in order to use it as the leg for a stool. Meddling, just like the cartoon series, that's what the game espouses.

With 8-bit three-dimensional rooms and 2D character sprites, Scooby-Doo! Classic Creep Capers does an excellent job of portraying the charisma inherent to the cartoon series. Shaggy, Scooby, and the rest of the gang all have their trademark walks and sayings as well as their own special abilities. Velma is smart at deciphering symbols, while Fred is strong enough to wrestle feisty key grinders or wily ghosts, but, as usual, it is Scooby and Shaggy who ultimately steal the show with their happy-go-lucky detective work. Along the way, animated cutscenes add to the charm, turning out such quotes as, "Jinkies!" "Let's eat, Scoob!" and the oft classic "My glasses! I can't see without them!" As you progress through the game, you will find a lot of visual detail to interact with such as cabinet doors, levers, and even a washing machine. As is common with most Game Boy Color games, there are relatively few sound effects backing things up, but the game at least breaks the silence with a wide variety of music tracks for each chapter.

If there is any one single problem with the game--and it's a big one--it's how short it is. There is no way to die or fail in the game, as clue collecting is strictly a can or cannot affair. Because of this, most players will likely blow through the game in less than two hours simply by investigating every hot spot or by trying out all the items. However, while it lasts, Scooby-Doo! Classic Creep Capers is a wonderful effort.

The Good

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The Bad

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