Scooby-Doo!: Case File #1 - The Glowing Bug Man

There’s mystery and spookiness afoot in the Natural History Museum – exhibits and artifacts have been mixed up and damaged, a Glowing Bug Man has been glimpsed, and it’s up to Scooby-Doo and his human friends to find out what’s going on. This is the fourth Scooby-Doo game, and the first in the Case Files series, geared to children aged 5 – 10.

Scooby, Shaggy, Daphne, Velma and Fred begin in the Museum’s main lobby. Action is performed with your mouse; when the cursor is a pointing finger you can move in that direction; when it is a grasping paw you can pick up or move objects, or click on an item for animations. At the bottom of your screen is the Mystery bus; if you click on it, it will separate into a box of Scooby Snacks for bribing Scooby and Shaggy when they're acting cowardly, a headphones icon for sound options, and a door icon for exiting the game.

Your job is to collect clues by listening to tapes (conveniently left lying around!) and solving puzzles. As you solve each puzzle you receive an item that you place in files beneath pictures of five museum employees. With this method you are able to eliminate suspects one by one until you arrive at the guilty party. The puzzles include sliding and matching patterned tiles, completing sets of rock patterns, remembering which ice-cream machine buttons correspond to what flavors, and three more. Pattern recognition and logical thinking skills are stressed throughout the game, which can be difficult enough at its hardest level to appeal to older children as well. Also available on this disc are various Scooby-Doo printables, including posters, mazes and crossword puzzles.