At the risk of starting off sounding like a Richard Littlejohn column, things aren’t what they used to be. Over the course of four all-new episodes, Scooby and the gang solve mysteries with the aid of new-fangled technology such as laptops, PDAs, and GPSs. Yet in a move that will appease Scooby-Doo purists like myself, and no doubt Dick Littlejohn, there’s no sight of Scoob’s tiresome nephew Scrappy-Doo or his clueless cousin Scooby-Dum.

Episode 1, ‘E-Scream’, finds the Mystery Machine pitching up at a Californian gaming convention. Featuring a cast that includes a typically eccentric Germanic professor, there’s also room for two odious game manufacturers who bizarrely seem to borrow dialogue from another kid’s favourite show, Bananas in Pyjamas. This is no karaoke Scooby-Doo as catchphrases are monkeyed about with, mainly, as it turns out, as a plot device as the story ends with a denouement featuring a neat twist.

The next 15 minutes of fun, sees Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and their cowardly canine companion hitting Asia. ‘Block Long Hong Kong Terror’, whilst not boasting such a strong story as ‘E-Scream’, nevertheless gives the animators a chance to show off their skills. Then it’s off to Australia for ‘Reef Grief’, a title which would probably provoke your stereotypical Aussie to sigh: “Strewth, mate, couldn’t you come up with anything better than that?”

‘Gold Paw’, the final episode, returns the Mystery Machine to home soil. Here the gang visit Fort Knox to meet up with their doggy pals, the Secret Six Puppies. What they hadn’t bargained for was running into a solid gold ghoul too.

All in all, this DVD does enough to inspire nostalgia among those who remember an older incarnation. Although personally I can’t recall action sequences of yore being accompanied by such tepid frat rock. At the same time, it will win over the affections of a whole new generation of Scooby-Doo fans as the open-mouthed reaction of my fellow critics, my two young sons, goes to show.
(3½/5)