The Mystery Inc. gang has found themselves in yet another ghoul-filled crime. This time Shaggy and Scooby-Doo will take control of the Tome of Doom to help vanquish ghastly ghosts and goblins. Scooby-Doo: Mystery Mayhem puts you in control of those two famous chickens through five seemingly unlinked episodes.

Mystery Mayhem boasts some better-than-average graphics and models, not to mention great in-game animations (like when Scooby helps Shaggy get on top of a box). The levels are large and will keep you wondering what is around the next corner. Various costumes that the duo will put on in order to evade their foes also brings comedy and fun into the game's straight-from-the-cartoon storyline.

Another aspect of Scooby-Doo that comes right out of the classic series is the music. The voice acting is great. Scott Innes once again does a wonderful job of portraying the gluttonous gumshoes. Followers of the original series won't be able to tell the modern voices from the show's original duo of Don Messick (Scooby) and Casey Kasem (Shaggy).

Scooby-Doo: Mystery Mayhem takes you through five levels of clue-finding and ghost-grabbing. Along the way you will meet up with the rest of the gang as Daphne, Fred and Velma help you put the clues together and solve the various mysteries.

The first episode puts Shaggy and Scooby in a local library where ghosts have been let loose and the ancient book, the Tome of Doom, is missing. When you start this episode, you have no way of defending yourself, so every time you turn around, another ghost is knocking down your Cool Meter (basically your health). Thankfully, Scooby Snacks (to make you brave again) are frequent enough in this episode to keep you going until you find the book and learn how to use it against the things that go bump in the night.

The other four episodes will take you to a movie set, a western-themed amusement park, some bayous and a high-tech company. Each episode is full of different creatures, costumes and clues that will help you figure out the mystery that spreads across the entire game.

In each episode there are various clues and sandwich parts scattered about. The clues will help you figure out what is really going on behind the scenes. Though you don't actually need to find all of the clues, they will unlock concept art. If you find all of the sandwich parts in an episode, then one of the five mini-games will be displayed on the Main Menu.

These games include: Trap the Fake Ghost, Monster Frenzy, Mine Cart Ride, Mini Trail Bike and Spooky Science. Though I have yet to unlock them all, the ones I have played have kept me in front of my PS2 for awhile.

Scooby-Doo: Mystery Mayhem isn't necessarily the hardest game out there. The first episode can get a little tricky until you find the Tome of Doom. Once you find it, the game tends to be repetitive. When you get to one of the bosses, it might take you a little while to figure out exactly what you need to do in order to unveil it, but once you know the secret, it is hardly a challenge. Even though the game wasn't extremely hard, I still found it fun to play.

There isn't much to the controls of Scooby-Doo: Mystery Mayhem. You switch between Shaggy and Scooby by pressing the Circle button. Each character has his own advantages so if you feel like you are stuck somewhere, switch who is in the lead, it might open up a new path.

Shaggy's main weapon in Mystery Mayhem is the Tome of Doom. He uses this book to trap the creatures that roam around. You open the book with the Square button and it locks onto a creature. Rapidly pressing the X button will pull the baddie to you and will eventually suck it in (provided you don't run out of energy).

Mystery Mayhem is a must buy for anyone who is into the antics of Scooby-Doo. If not, then you might still get some enjoyment out of the structure and gameplay. I would recommend this game to any fan of the genre.