Scooby and the gang are back for their second adventure on this set of consoles. And their latest game is just that, an adventure game instead of a platformer. THQ has also made the decision to switch developers from Heavy Iron to A2M. Mystery Mayhem is a very simplistic adventure targeted at a younger audience.

But before going into the pros and cons of the gameplay, I'd like to showcase Mystery Mayhem's best asset: its presentation and use of license. From the very beginning to the very end of the game, it feels just like a few traditional episodes on TV - which you'll later learn, are all related to one another. All the characters look and sound identical to their hand-drawn counterparts. While Mystery Mayhem is no graphical masterpiece, it ends up looking just like the show, down to the whiskers on Shaggy's chin. The characters and environments are simple, clean, and cartoony, without a bit of cell-shading. And with cartoon to video game translations, it's crucial that all of the original voice actors be used, and Mystery Mayhem certainly does that. In fact, the things they say are just what you'd expect from the show. Cartoonish sound effects and the inclusion of a laugh track also help to create an authentic Mystery Inc. experience.

It's obvious that Mystery Mayhem is targeted at a younger audience. Everything about the gameplay is simple and easy enough for players of almost any age to get through. Players take control of both Scooby and Shaggy through five or six separate yet related mysteries. Most of the time, it's the player's choice of which character to use. Just hit the Y button for a quick switch. Whichever you do chose, human or dog, the other will just follow behind you like he's not even there. The only times you're actually required to play as a certain character are the few times that Scooby needs to crawl under something or dog paddle down a river, or when either of them has been kidnapped. When it's all said and done, the dual character mechanic is just an attempt at giving a false impression of depth. The only things accomplished by putting the two individuals together are keeping the game inline with the show and making some unique animations (many of which are too long).

Throughout the game, the constantly hungry duo collects blatantly obvious clues, while solving simple puzzles that range from easy to super easy. Things are mixed up a bit by some decent mini games and some not so decent combat. An ancient book called the "Tome of Doom" allows Scooby and Shaggy to return ghosts and other monsters back to its pages. But most of the pages are missing, so first you have to find the correct page for each type of supernatural beast. When you do have the right page, combat proceeds as follows. First get close to an enemy and pull out the Tome with the X button. Then just repeatedly hit whichever button is displayed while dodging attacks. Saying that this gets old and boring fast would be an understatement.

There isn't much to the combat, just like there isn't much to the rest of the game. If you're an adult - or over the age of eight, really - Mystery Mayhem won't provide enough to keep you interested. Now I don't want to say that all kids only like really simple, easy games, but I'm sure there are many youngsters who find most mainstream games too hard, and complex. In any case, all those who don't still wear Superman Underoos (or would it be better to say, those who shouldn't) would be strongly advised to stay away from this game. Also, big fans of the show might be able look past its many flaws for its wonderful presentation. But unless your mommy tucks you into your Scooby-Doo bed sheets at night, you probably won't be entirely satisfied.