Scooby-Doo: Jinx at the Sphinx Join Scooby-Doo and the gang in Egypt as they visit Velma’s Egyptologist cousin, Thelma. While visiting the pyramids in Giza, they find Thelma is missing and a mysterious mummy is frightening all the tourists away. It’s up to the gang to find Thelma and wrap up the mummy for good. Kids help Scooby-Doo and his friends by telling them what to do and who to talk to. Along the way, they’ll encounter ghosts, puzzles, and hair-raising adventure.
Kids must solve more than 10 different puzzles and activities to solve each mystery. The adventure is never the same. The mystery changes each time you play, with new clues and a different villain and outcome. Turn up the gameplay and the challenge with three levels of difficulty: Spooky! for ages 5 and 6; Spookier! for ages 7 and 8; and Spooktacular! for ages 9 and 10. The game builds thinking and problem-solving skills by utilizing research skills, deductive reasoning, and logical analysis.
Customer Review: our favorite of all the Scooby Doo Case Files
We borrowed several of the Scooby Doo Case File games from our local library. I was trying to decide whether to purchase them. My son is a HUGE Scooby fan, so I figured if the games are easy enough for a 3 year old and can hold his attention then I’d buy them.
First, the graphics and voices are true to the tv show, so this game really holds my son’s attention. I like that there are 3 levels of difficulty. We stuck to the “spooky” (easy) level.
The main menu screen puts the gang in the middle of Egypt. They can basically go in 3 different directions to explore: to the Sphinx, to the pyramids, or to the bazaar. This will bring them to a “sub-menu” screen that offers additional choices of where to explore. For example, at the bazaar, you can explore a shop keeper’s tent or go to the pizza parlor. Each area has suspects to interview, and items to pick up. This format is similar to the other Scooby Doo case file mysteries we have rented. Once you find all the clues, you can guess at which of the suspects you think is the thief and then learn the secret identity of the ghost.
Now, my son is probably on the young side for this game, and searching for clues and interviewing suspects was a little over his head. In some cases, you have to go into one building and talk to a suspect who will tell you that they need a specific item. Then you have to go to a different building to find the item and bring it back to the suspect. Not a problem for a slightly older child, but a little too complicated for us.
What I liked best about this game though (and what made it different from showdown in ghost town) is that there were several little mini-games within the game to earn scooby snacks or extra clues. In the Bazaar, there is a matching memory game. In the main screen there is a game where scooby tries to catch falling fruit into a basket, etc. There was just more to do with the software (outside of looking for clues to solve the mystery). My son liked revisiting the games and getting better at them each time he played. After playing a couple of times, he could remember exactly how to get to each game and could play by himself with no difficulty.
Some reviewers mentioned that once you solve the mystery, the game is no longer a challenge. I can see that point. The clues are always found in the same locations. But the clues themselves change so that the end result is that a different suspect ends up being the villain each time. There are I think 5 or so different suspects, so there must be an equal number of endings (we’ve only made it through 2 of them so far). Again, my son is only 3, so finding the clues in the same location each time is a good thing for us- it reinforces his ability to remember how to get through each clue.
Sorry for such a long review, but bottom line is that this one is actually pretty good for younger kids. Parents may have to help them get through it the first couple of times, but after that, even young kids can do this on their own. Great Game.
Customer Review: Good, clean fun and the kids like it too!
We have had the Jinx at the Sphinx for a year now. My 6 and 8 yr old sons both still enjoy it! There is some learning, a mystery to solve, and three levels of challenge to choose from, so the game grows with your child. I’m very pleased with it, and I am going to buy another Learning Company Scooby Doo game as soon as I’m done writing this review!Scooby-Doo: Jinx at the Sphinx
Entries (RSS)