Scooby Doo isn’t exactly famous for starring in high quality video games that can be lauded as break through genre titles. Fans of the cartoon, children or otherwise, may still be able to enjoy Scooby Doo! Night of 100 Frights–just as long as they’re willing to disregard its shoddy visuals.

Scooby Doo! Night of 100 Frights is almost like a Scooby Doo summer classic all-star game. There’s a large amount of references and characters to be seen in this game that have made some memorable, or equally unmemorable, appearances in the Scooby Doo cartoon series. This is something that should please fans of the cartoon, but it does manage to make the game feel a little more cluttered than it should. Even though, of course, clutter shouldn’t really be a concern when playing 100 Frights, as you really should be prepared to ‘let yourself go’ and accept it for what it is.

All the ingredients for a Scooby Doo adventure are already mixed into this concoction. A haunted mansion on the sea, a panic stricken Shaggy, and overused catch phrases abound. This is what players should expect from a Scooby Doo game, however, and all the over used catch phrases and other such familiarities within the license make the game what it is: a lighthearted, tongue-in-cheek romp. That said, the Xbox port of the game could have used a little work during the full year of time it was in development. The most substantial bodyblow this game suffers is in the graphics department–they’re nothing to sing about by any means. The visuals are rough and ugly, even though one could argue that’s the nature of the cartoon in itself.

You won’t find the game’s sound compensating for the poor graphics, either–they’re often vague and distinctly unremarkable. However, they do manage to fit the game’s character and visuals; whether this is a good thing or not remains to be seen, and will also depend on individual gamers’ love and affection for the cartoon product. Getting past these flawed technicalities will also help determine how much you’ll ultimately enjoy this title, as Scooby Doo! A Night of 100 Frights is a pretty decent platformer, even though it doesn’t offer a tremendous amount of depth. While playing as the ever-lovable Scooby Doo, you’ll find yourself conversing with the local NPCs, finding and using inventions that will be at your disposal, as well as solving puzzles. Of course, puzzle solving in order to progress to later parts of a level or a room were never really Scooby Doo’s thing. However, it has always been a game of this nature’s ‘thing’ and it aids in boosting the meagre longevity and interest level for 100 Frights.

So there’s nothing here that’s going to keep casual gamers glued to the television screen while playing. The short amount of game time that both die-hard fans of Scooby Doo, and children who enjoy general gaming, will get from Scooby Doo! Night of 100 Frights is enjoyable enough, though. But, saying that, if you’ve already played the PS2 and Gamecube versions, it’ll be better for you if you simply don’t touch this addition. If you haven’t played the other ports, though and you’re in dire need of a humorous Scooby Doo fix, then this is probably a semi-worthy effort..