Over-age dropouts hanging out with smart teenagers, free love, suppressed lesbianism and blatant drug pseudonyms. The Scooby-Doo! cartoons perfectly captured the mood of the the '70s, and garnered legions of blissfully naïve young fans. Scooby-Doo! Mystery Mayhem aims to encapsulate all of these ingredients into an easy-to-swallow, bite-sized Scooby Snack, whilst creating an entertaining experience for relative newcomers, and it's done a sterling job all round.

Players alternately control Scooby and Shaggy, though both are very similar in ability, with Scooby's crawl move being the only major difference. By guiding the dopey duo through numerous levels, uncovering clues and solving some brain-friendly puzzles, the gang must unravel the mystery of who's haunting an old library, terrorising a movie studio etc. Characteristically, it's always the dodgy-looking bloke you meet at the start who rattles out the classic line, "I would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for you pesky kids!" once he's been rumbled.

Don't go thinking this is a simplistic kids' game though - it's far from it. Mystery Mayhem is littered with brilliant, authentic touches. The developer obviously has a real affection for the original cartoon (and not the rubbish film), as the atmosphere is brilliantly captured, from the great-looking cutscenes and voiceover (provided by most of the original cast) to the comedy sound effects and awesome canned laughter. There's no real combat as such. Instead, enemies (the customary ghosts, monsters and mummies) are trapped in your Tome of Doom. Whip out this nefarious novel whenever enemies are near and repeatedly tap the corresponding buttons to suck them into the book. By collecting more discarded pages, Shaggy and Scooby can capture more varieties of ghost.

Although there's no true health bar, our heroes are dependant on a Cool meter; too many scares and they'll scarper off to console each other with a hug. The Cool meter is restored with Scooby Snacks. Save points are represented by cameras, as they "capture a moment in time when the pair were happy together". Ahhh. There are several bonus games and levels to discover, including a comical eating contest and a mine cart ride that'll blast the cobwebs away. This all adds significantly more to the whole tripped-out experience.

To be fair, the level design isn't exactly the most imaginative in the world, and the camera isn't fully rotational, which causes the odd problem. But don't worry about all of this; just kick back, get the munchies in and let yourself sink into this wonderful, psychedelic haze of a game.

1. Just like the 'toon!
2. Full of comedy touches
3. Very accessible for younger gamers

1. Limited depth
2. Awkward camera controls

Power
Cartoon textures suit the game but don't tax the Xbox. The cutscenes look great.

Style
Fantastic interpretation - great graphics and soundtrack make you feel part of an episode.

Immersion
Simple tutorial eases you in and there are plenty of elements from the cartoon to keep you going.

Lifespan
A surprisingly lengthy game, and you'll want to collect all the hidden clues and food for the unlockables.

Summary
A fun and easy-going adventure that benefits immensely from retaining all the authenticity of the TV show. Zoinks!