Scooby Doo and the Cyber Chase

Warner | minutes | | | Standard DVD reviewed by: Fusion3600

Although the members of Mystery, Inc. have battled some strange forces before, nothing could have prepared them for their latest case. As the crew tries to capture the elusive Phantom Virus, which is not your usual kind of phantom, the gang ends up sucked inside a computer game. This is not nice, simple kind of game either, as this is a state of the art, hi-tech game and unless the gang thinks fast, it could be game over any second. But in truth, the gang has an edge in this adventure, as the game is based on their own cases and as such, they have some insight into how to approach each of the difficult levels. In other words, they know which turns to make and which clues to pick up on, but they forgot about the baddies they've battled. Now they must once again face some of their most feared enemies and this time, the usual tricks don't seem to work. Can Scooby and the others somehow survive this game, or are they doomed to remain inside forever?

That famous pooch Scooby-Doo is back and this time, he and his pals find themselves in their most complex case of all time. I like the premise here a lot and while not all the potential is covered, Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase is a better than average adventure. I was pleased to find this release was feature length, as I tend to enjoy the longer programs more, even if the normal episodes pack a lot into the shorter duration. As I mentioned, the story is cool and offers some nice twists, since it deals with unusual material, given the usual directions of the series. The various levels inside the game provide some varied situations, which also keep the show fresh and never dull, no complaints in that respect. I don't think these touches will win the series any new fans, but existing ones should love this installment. The story is good, the usual elements are present, and it's a heck of a lot of fun to watch. So if you love the crazy antics of Scooby-Doo and his friends, I recommend you check out Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase.

Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase is presented in a full frame transfer, as intended. The image here looks terrific, very sharp & refined and free from problems, at least serious ones. The print is pristine and shows no flaws, while the colors look vivid and true, no bleeds or oversaturation to report here. The contrast is quite good also, no signs of visible detail loss and black levels are well balanced at all times. In short, this is as good as this material can look on DVD, which is fantastic and fans should be thrilled with the results.

I didn't expect much in terms of audio here, but the included Dolby Digital 5.1 track is a good one, to be sure. Of course, Scooby-Doo can't compete with the high end audio releases out there, but this is a solid track. The basic elements are well presented, with no errors I could detect and no gimmicky surround use. This is a fun, cartoon mix and that's how it should be, so I think fans will be most pleased. The dialogue is clean and crisp at all times, with no distortion or volume balance problems to speak of. This disc also includes subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.

This disc includes a teaser trailer of sorts, a music video, virtual detective game, and a brief "making of" featurette.