If your only familiarity with Scooby-Doo is that god-awful Gellar-Prinze fiasco of a film, I pity you. But if you know why Scrappy is considered the Yoko-Ono of cartoons and you know what it means when a 300 pound dog gets the munchies, you can't help but appreciate the care with which the license was treated in Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights. It's a platform game available on each of the three home consoles. Just like the beginnings of so many old episodes, the game starts off with Scooby and the gang in the Mystery Machine on their way to a friend's old, spooky mansion. As soon as they get there Fred, Daphne, Velma and Shaggy vanish, snatched up by whatever's behind the strange goings-on at the mansion and Scooby is left to fend for himself.

Everything about the presentation is a spot-on tribute to the original cartoon. The voices are done by the original cast, so that's a no-brainer. The sound effects that go along with the cartoon are lifted right from childhood. Running in place, falling over, smashing into things - it's all done just right and is music to the ears of any kid with even a fleeting memory of the classics. It even looks like the old cartoon, probably because the animation wasn't that great on the show back in the day and that makes it pretty easy to imitate. Doesn't matter - it still counts. If all developers working on licensed games could do as good a job of preserving the essence of the source material the world would be a happier place.

Those who play through will also encounter the voice work of Scooby-Doo diehards Tim Conway and Don Knotts. Rounding out the flashback motif are appearances by 20 of the most recognizable villains from the old show. The only part of the presentation I found a little odd was the inclusion of a laugh track. It just seemed unnecessary.

The mansion and grounds that make up the game's world carry the Scooby-Doo stamp throughout the game. Any one area could be lifted from an old episode. A little exploration reveals that the objects of our affection in this platformer are Scooby Snacks. They're sprinkled liberally about the grounds, and the towers, swing and even small ice rink give you a good chance to get used to how Scooby moves and what abilities he has at the very beginning. He can walk, run, jump and head butt things. He's a dog, what did you expect? Later you'll get gum, which can do marvelous things for a dog's range - like when he spits it or blows bubbles.

You also have to find several inventions scattered around the game. They give Scooby much more ability, like flying, increased jumping and several situation-specific boosts. They also serve as your main goals to finding the rest of your crew.

When you get down to it Night of 100 Frights is a solid, if standard platformer if you have some appreciation for Scooby-Doo or if you're looking for a game for the kids. It will probably be passed up by most gamers for its immature look and feel, but that's exactly the point (and they seem to forget what Mario Sunshine looked like). I'm not even a huge Scooby-Doo fan from back in the day - it probably wouldn't rank in my top five childhood favorites. But I do appreciate the classics, and this one has been done right in Night of 100 Frights. Now just pretend Scrappy never existed in our world and go about your business.