Scooby Doo: Showdown in Ghost Town

To get to the bottom of what's spooking Los Burritos, the group must explore the town and talk to everyone who crosses their path, all the while looking out for clues to help them solve the mystery at hand. To uncover the right information, players must perform semi-educational activities such as setting a clock to the proper time, putting a puzzle together and recalling details from the game itself. There are also fun challenges throughout (Scooby takes on the Faceless Rider in a pie fight to the finish, and later plays a mean game of horseshoes) to earn Scooby Snacks. These prove important when you want Shaggy and Scooby to enter an especially scary area--you'll have to bribe them with Scooby Snacks to get them to cooperate. The fun activities and puzzles, paired with all the crime solving, push children to use problem-solving skills and deductive reasoning. Who knew Scooby could make you smarter?

In addition to being just plain retro fun, the game offers some help in solving each mystery (we found several in our gameplay): click on the Mystery, Inc. van to review the clues you've collected, check your Scooby Snack count or ask Scrappy for help. And to keep the games challenging as kids grow (or perhaps for adults to enjoy), players can select from three "spookiness" levels that increase in difficulty. Also included are very thorough gameplay instructions and a Groovy Goodies section that includes fun tie-ins to the video and DVD releases Scooby Doo and the Alien Invaders. (Ages 5 and up) --Leah Ball