It’s time to release another game based on a successful cartoon and/or movie. It's time for another attempt to grab some easy money by making a knock-off generic game with a name-brand on the label to make it sell. It's that time, but this is NOT the place (or game). No, in fact, Scooby-Doo! Unmasked is a fun excursion that actually earns the right to carry the name. Unlike some recent horrendous brand-name rip-offs, THQ has delivered a surprisingly fun and smile-inducing game for all ages. OK, hard-core Ghost Recon or Doom 3 folks may not be up for this unique detour, but the rest of us that enjoy a step back into something simple and fun will enjoy it.

The groovy Mystery Machine and the gang of Fred, Wilma, Daphne, Shaggy and Scooby are out to visit Fred's cousin Jed. However, when they arrive at the Special Effects factory, Freddie's cuz is nowhere to be found. The mystery begins! This particular production facility manufactures a special costume/effect substance called "Mubber"-- not to be confused with the Disney product "Flubber". I am sure the name is sheer coincidence. Mubber enables you to create any kind of costume you like-- with all of the characteristics of that.... character. Let's say you create a costume that makes you look like a martial arts Master. Well heck.... you actually become a Kung-Fu guru just by wearing it. Score one for Originality.

Although you "talk" (read dialog) with the rest of the gang-- and employees along the way, you play as the always-cool Scooby-Doo, himself. Exploring various creative buildings and environments, you collect clues and examine them with Velma. The two of you have to answer (simple) questions to get points for the clues. It's little (and I mean-- tiny) games within the game. Just something to help add to the "solving" portion of the experience. As you explore the places and collect Scooby-snacks for energy, you come upon a Mubber costume machine that will produce particular outfits to save. In the costume, you take on the abilities of that character. Things such as the Kung-Fu Master, Bat outfit and Robin-Hood archer type. If exposed to Ultra-Violet light, your costume will dissolve. So, tuck it away in your inventory until it's needed. Then, slip it on to achieve otherwise impossible tasks to get through various obstacles. Lose your suit, and you may have to start that level over-- assuming you saved your cryptic password.

The graphics are bright, creative and fun. It's a side-action scroller, but there are plenty of challenges to make it more engaging than many similar games. There's nothing new about the way the game plays, but the way they did it makes it stand out more than other titles.

The music is hip and catches the mood of the original series (before Scrappy and kiddie versions of the gang ruined it all). Although the music is repetitive, it never reached the "get it out of my head" level of annoyance. The sound effects work well, and there's even the golden voice of Adam West (TV's 60s Batman) along with Scooby's "talking".

It's an overall fun romp into yesterday's brand of fun. There are moves and hurdles enough to challenge some seasoned gamers, but it's geared for a younger crowd-- without playing down to them. It will challenge youths, tremendously. It's hard to pull off a game geared on a kid's show without making it insulting to anyone that's still got their baby-teeth. This is one such exception. I had fun playing it, and enjoyed completing levels and continuing. That may seem over-simplified, but with many kid's games, such achievements aren't as fulfilling. That's a credit to the game's design.

Gameplay: 8.0
It's easy enough to learn the moves, and the tutorials at the beginning are fantastic. Along with Shaggy telling you how to do certain tasks, a "ghost" image Scooby will move out of your actual body and demonstrate it for you. That was fantastic. Scooby can jump, super-jump, crawl and spin/break things. There's more to that hound than a over-active appetite!

Graphics: 8.5 
The bright and imaginative levels are fun to explore, and the costumes make Scooby look quite... fun. There's great shading with the new graphics engine, here. It gives the game a far deeper cartoon appearance and enriches the playability. It's much more fun to play it when you can actually SEE what's going on! 

Sound: 7.0
The music is classic Scooby-groovy. It's nicely dated and adds to the fun. It hums along on the background without driving the player insane. That's a fine line to walk, and they do it-- well. You get to hear some nice CHOMPING as Scooby eats up his treats. The breaking and environment noises are average.    

Difficulty: Easy
The game's not hard, but there's enough to it to not make it a one-day event. Even if you finish it, I am betting you'd want to try it again. There are not a lot of difficult puzzles, but you do need to have a brain to know when to use which Mubber-created costume.

Concept: 8.5 
It's a side action scroller, but a good one. It has many of the same moves as any other of this class, but it's pulled off with more detail and cleverness. Playing as Scooby is a lot of fun, and enriches it further. The Mubber-stuff is a fun creation to give the gameplay a little extra "push". It's clever to have Scooby dressed up as various characters, which is what you expect to see from that cartoon, anyway. It was a nice way to bring some of that TV fun to your own controls. 

Overall: 8.0
This is an engaging and fun game. Not just for a kid's level, but I think many people will get something from it. It has some nice detailed graphical wonders for a GBA title, and the action/mystery aspects make it more difficult to put down. Having to solve simple clues with Velma is a nice touch to give a "intellectual" break from the action. You get to see some familiar classic monsters from the old show as well. They do not play a huge part of this original design, but are there to bring a smile to the faces of us fans of the show. The goal of the game is, as always, to unmask the evil villain. For those that are brave enough, give it a try. Would you do it for a Scooby-snack? Two Scooby snacks?!