Scooby-Doo and the Spooky Swamp

Name: Scooby-Doo and the Spooky Swamp
Item: Scooby-Doo and the Spooky Swamp
Rating: 3
Author: Christopher Healy

Game review by

Christopher Healy, Common Sense Media

Scooby-Doo and the Spooky Swamp Game Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 7+

(i)

Zoinks! Scary villains and more fighting than usual.

Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 2
$19.99–$39.99
2010

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Parents say

age 14+

Based on 1 review

Kids say

age 14+

Based on 1 review

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A lot or a little?

The parents' guide to what's in this game.

Positive Messages

The game revolves around Scooby and Shaggy running errands for a strange woman they meet in the swamp. Their motiviation lies in them wanting the food she has offered to give them. So, yes, taking food from strangers is the main plot point of the game.That said, they also solve puzzles.

Positive Role Models & Representations

Scooby and Shaggy have always been somewhat questionable role models, although their good qualities (overcoming fear, helping their friends, etc.) usually trump the bad ones (cowardice, laziness, etc.). In this particular story, though, pretty much everything they do is motivated by hunger, which knocks their nobility down a notch.

Ease of Play

The controls are nice and easy to handle, but some of the mission objectives you'll need to meet along the way can be frustratingly difficult to figure out. Some sort of hint system, to nudge you toward what your supposed to do next, would have been helpful.

Violence & Scariness

There's a lot of hand-to-hand fighting between the Scooby gang and various ghosts and monsters (skeletons, werewolves, snowmen, etc.). Kicks and punches are thrown. Scooby hits enemies with a chain of sausage links. Shaggy fires a slingshot at the bad guys. Giant spider enemies release a squirt of green liquid when destroyed.

Language

Not unless you're offended by "zoinks!"

Consumerism

The game is a tie-in to the vast and long-running Scooby-Doo franchise.

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that the plot of Scooby-Doo and the Spooky Swamp revolves around Scooby-Doo and Shaggy working for a voodoo-priestess-type stranger they meet in a swamp -- so that they can earn a promised snack from her. There's a good deal of cartoony fighting in the game and some scary-looking villains. However, there's also a nice mix of puzzle play, some of which can be quite challenging. One chapter of the story features Mexican characters who speak in exaggerated accents.

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Teen, 15 years old Written byJtoria October 5, 2010

age 14+

Perfect for older and younger kids

I love it

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What's it about?

SCOOBY-DOO AND THE SPOOKY SWAMP is a sequel of sorts to last year's Scooby-Doo First Frights. Like its predecessor, this game features younger versions of the Scooby-Doo gang solving mysteries and battling supernatural baddies. The story begins with Scooby and Shaggy following a yummy aroma into a swamp where a strange voodoo priestess promises to feed them if they help her out. So the two drag in their friends of several related mystery adventures, in hopes of gathering the items the swamp girl has asked for. The game is built around two-player co-op play, and works very well in that format.

Is it any good?

Scooby-Doo and the Spooky Swamp feels a bit stale after last year's First Frights. A lot of the gameplay is identical, but the storytelling isn't as tight (and the plot here is pretty ludicrous, even for Scooby-Doo). Still, there are some very good points to the game. Most notable among them is the great co-op play. A second player can hop in and out whenever he wants, and the game has puzzles built around the different skills of each character. There's also a really fun reward system that allows you to buy costume pieces that you can mix and match to dress up your character at any time (even mid-level). Spooky Swamp is worth playing for Scooby fans; just don't expect to be blown away.

Talk to your kids about ...

Families can talk about the violence in the game. Scooby-Doo cartoons aren't known to feature tons of fighting, but this game does. Would there have been a better way for the developers to translate a Scooby-Doo adventure into video game format?
Also, are the Mexican characters in the game presented as stereotypes? What about the swamp girl? Even if these depictions aren't negative, can they still be troublesome?