While many cartoon characters have come and gone, Hanna Barbera’s Scooby-Doo has been a mainstay in the animation scene since 1969. Scooby and the gang of Mystery Inc. have been solving supernatural crimes and delighting fans of all ages for 33 years now! Yet, Scooby-Doo is as popular as ever and arguably a staple of pop-culture. Kept on the air and in primetime by Cartoon Network, new Scooby animation movies have been produced in recent years and a live-action feature film is coming too. Scooby-Doo has also appeared in a few video games, including ones that appeared on Nintendo systems (N64, GBC, GBA). However, much like your average licensed game, these either didn’t do justice to the Scooby license or didn’t provide a wholly enjoyable game.

THQ is now planning to bring out another Scooby-Doo game, called simply Scooby Doo! with development being done by Heavy Iron Studios, best known for THQ’s Evil Dead game. Luckily for Scooby fans, the early indication (such as these impressions from IGNCube) is that Scooby-Doo! may very well succeed in providing an interactive experience that is both faithful to the cartoon and fun to play.

The game has the entire gang of Mystery, Inc. Fred – the leader in a neckerchief; “Danger Prone” Daphne; the clue-hungry Velma and that hungry goof Shaggy. Fortunately, and Heavy Iron Studios is quick to point this out, the game will NOT include Scrappy-Doo. Your pals in the Mystery Machine won’t be the only familiar faces: several classic villains from the show will also be included. We’re not sure which specific baddies are being included, (Freaky Tiki? The Wax Phantom? Spacey Space Freak? Maybe the Mummy who moans “coin” repeatedly?) but there will be over 20 creepy creatures from the Scooby-Doo universe.

Players take control of Scooby-Doo and though he’ll encounter old friends & foes, the cowardly canine is on his own in this case. A mysterious mastermind has captured the entire gang and Scooby must work to locate his friends. With the use of wacky inventions, Scooby-Doo battles monsters while searching for clues in more than 12 huge levels, including a creepy mansion, a spooky cave and a ghostly graveyard. Through it all, Scooby still has time to pick up Scooby Snacks and a host of other power-ups to help foil the Mastermind’s evil plans. It’s up to you, Scooby-Doo!

The game is an Adventure 3D platformer with most of the action scrolling left-to-right. With excellent control mechanics, Scooby will be able to jump and use a double-jump to get across chasms. Scooby attacks by jumping on foes but can also sneak on tip-toe to avoid enemies. Scooby can also jump onto rolling objects which will send him sliding across a room.

The graphics do a good job of realizing Scooby in 3D. Heavy Iron has accentuated Scooby’s cartoon nature by having his face display emotions, from bravery to fear, depending on the circumstances. There will be lots to be scared of; there is great use of shadow effects and mysterious lighting. Each of the 12 levels in the game’s four worlds are detailed and well rendered.

Even further evidence that Heavy Iron and THQ are taking things seriously is the voice talent going into the game. Some of the original Scooby-Doo cast be lending their voices to the game and few notable celebrities will be too, including Don Knotts, Tim Conway and Tim Curry. Jinkies!

The Scooby-Doo phenomenon has spanned generations and Heavy Iron is clearly taking this to heart. Scooby-Doo! will appeal to gamers’ of all ages; accessible for younger gamers but with extra challenge packed in for older, more experienced players. Scooby Snacks are scattered throughout each level, but are optional. Gamers that do collect all the Scooby Snacks will be rewarded with secret levels and special DVD features.

The game will appear on PS2 in spring 2002 and GameCube in Fall 2002. The GameCube version will feature enhanced graphics, primarily texture resolution. We’ll split up and look for clues, but it’s no mystery that Scooby-Doo! is already looking very promising.