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Scooby-Doo! Mystery of the Fun Park Phantom
 I must admit this game took me by surprise. I thought I did my homework and read all about it, but seemingly I didn't take competent notes. Somehow I was expecting more of an adventure game with elements of a board game thrown in, instead Mystery of the Fun Park Phantom is pretty much an electronic board game. In fact, I ended up getting two surprises because it works ... it really is entertaining.
To make you feel warm and comfy it all begins with the short animation taken straight from the early seventies TV Series. Then, after inviting the player(s) to select options and begin playing, you guessed it, Scooby and Co stumble across a creepy mystery to solve. They are on their way to visit Shaggy's Uncle Shagworthy when the Mystery Machine breaks down near the Gob's lonely farmhouse. Whilst being pampered with a little sustenance they learn all about the nearby Fun Park and its resident Phantom. The Park is owned by the Gobs, but they have had to shut it down because of the Phantom's scare tactics. If only someone can solve the mystery because Farmer Gob will then return the favour and fix the ailing Mystery Machine!
The main gameplay in Mystery of the Fun Park Phantom is in third person, isometric perspective and you control one of the familiar characters, Shaggy, Velma, Daphne or Fred. It is turn based and each player is allocated three actions points per turn. The idea is to look around whichever 'area' you are in and find the clues and trap pieces to catch the culprit. These actions cost one point but, beware, you may stumble across the Phantom and be challenged to play his fiendish memory game of 'follow the pattern'. Lose and you forfeit the remainder of your turn and the next one as well.
Different actions will swallow up different amounts of your allotted turn points. As well as searching you might want to travel elsewhere and this will cost you more. And you can also find Scooby Snacks which, if used judiciously, can increase your chances or foil the plans of your opponents. If you have a store of Scooby Snacks you will be offered the choice of spinning the Wheel O' Fun at the start of your turn which might bring you extra points or, maybe free travel. On the other hand, when your turn is done you can use your Snacks to pass on a Wheel O' Chaos spin to one of your opponents. With a bit of luck they might lose their turn or face the Phantom's challenge ... something mean is bound to happen :) .
To win the game you need to have collected enough clues to identify the Phantom and three trap pieces to catch him or her, you also need a Scooby Snack so that Scooby will help out. You can get the low-down on each suspect from the 'clue' screen where your accumulated clues are displayed. So when you have the answer and have gathered all the trap pieces it's time to set the trap. But you need the right combination of pieces and you must be in the correct location. Careful though, if you accuse an innocent you'll pay the price.
Just press the map button to see that the game world is divided into nine areas like a Tic Tac Toe board, each area related to a theme such as The Pirate Ship, Mini-World, Merry-Go-Round, etc. The graphics are excellent, the characters are chatty, and there are some lively cartoon interludes when you finally catch the culprit.
Really this one is good fun for all the family ... there are so many options. You can set difficulty levels, impose a time limit for moves so you don't have to wait all day for a slow-coach, and play can be halted and stored in a saved game so that there's no excuse for postponing meal time. You can also play against the computer, against up to three other players or even participate in an on-line hunt. Although there is a short learning curve there's also a good hint display to get you started and the game is just complex enough for you to work out devious strategies to win the day.
Copyright © Rosemary Young 1999.
All rights reserved.
System requirements:
P166 MHz processor, Win 95/98, 32 MB RAM, 20-100 MB of free hard disk space, 4x CD-ROM, 16-Bit SVGA, with 2MB VRAM, 16-Bit Windows compatible sound card, DirectX 6.0 (Included) or later, 28.8 modem for online play, Microsoft compatible mouse or other pointing device.
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