This would promise to be the ultimate Scooby-Doo game. The entire gang is accurately recreated down to goofy sayings and a laugh track that, like its television counterpart, kicks in at the most incongruous times. All of the familiar villains from the original run of the series are present and accounted for - The Black Knight, the Werewolf, the Sea Creature, et al. Necessary eye-candy such as quadruple-decker sandwiches and Scooby snacks are waiting to be devoured in huge gulps. And the coup de grace - the nostalgic voices of Don Knotts as the gardener, Tim Conway as the housekeeper and Tim Curry as, who else, but the head evil-doer behind the mansion's mischievous mishaps.

Yet for all this talent and dedication to recreate the show, there seems to be a sense of fun and adventure absent from this game. Instead, we constantly hop to-and-fro from platform to platform, collect inventory items to gain extra lives and search for power-ups. There is no sense of mystery or adventure to the game and instead of searching for clues or trying to discover the identity of the culprit, you progress from level to level like Mario/Scooby until confronting a difficult "head boss" at the end of every episode. It all very quickly become repetitive and tedious and not unlike the hundreds of other platform games on the market. The real problem though is that a great license and talent has been reduced to mediocrity.

Unlike the wonderful Scooby Doo games from The Learning Company (Showdown in Ghost Town and Phantom of the Knight), the developers at Heavy Iron Studios have failed to capitalize on the wealth of riches provided to them and what could have been classic is instead a warmed-over rerun. If you must play Night of 100 Frights, do yourself a favor and rent it at your local store. At the end of your rental period, you will have had more than your share of Scooby Snacks for quite a while.

Final Grade Scooby-Doo: Night of 100 Frights - C-.

This Scooby-Doo game is based on and recreates characters and situations from this summer's smash movie. Even better, it truly is an adventure game and while it does not possess the depth or detail of Broken Sword or Nancy Drew on the GBA, it is still good for numerous nights of entertainment.

The gang has been summoned to Spooky Island by Emile Mondavarious to find the ghost who has been scaring away the Spooky Island hotel guests. Of course there will be villains and red herrings a'plenty as Fred, Velma, Daphne, Shaggy and Scooby search the hotel, the Spooky Castle amusement park and the uh, cavernous cavern.

You can play as any of the gang, each of who has different abilities, as you uncover clues. It is best to be Velma when you need a locked chest opened or a secret door discovered; Daphne's Karate training will come in handy for defending against enemies; Fred can move heavy objects; Scooby can distract pesky enemies and Shaggy, well Shaggy can run and hide.

As the mystery deepens, in-game maps become available and you always have the option to switch to whatever character you think may be bested suited to the situation at hand. Puzzle types are well-balanced, though there is a lot of toing-and froing, and include a locked chest with four different colored sections that need unscrambled, a drainage system that needs repaired to allow water to flow freely, a darkened room that needs lit (sounds easy? It's not!) and a musical puzzle a la' Myst.

What is most impressive about Scooby Doo though, is that it had none of the advantages of Scooby Doo: Night of 100 Frights - no famous voice actors, no recognizable sound effects - yet it is, especially considering the limitations of the GBA, a much, much better game. Instead of voices from the movie's actors, we have text at the bottom of the screen, and while yes, there is some fighting in the game, it never overshadows the emphasis on puzzles.

This is a Scooby Doo that can be enjoyed by all family members, though it may be a little tricky crowding around the Game Boy Advance for a night of family entertainment.

Final Grade Scooby-Doo - B.