Now I am the master.

When I was around 6 or 7 years old, I owned a Sega Genisis. I played many exciting games like Golden Axe 3, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Revenge of Shanobi, and many many more.

One game that sticks out in my memory is Scooby Doo Mystery.

I had rented it, something that was a magical time in my childhood, as it was rare that we had extra money, and even rarer that it would be spent on something like a videogame rental. We rented the game from Video Vision, because you get to keep it 7 days instead of 3.

I wanted a new genre of game to play, so I asked the guy at the counter if he had any sugggestions. I distinctly remember him seeking out a specific game in particular: Scooby Doo Mystery. Now, I'm really not a big fan of scooby doo at this point: His show was boring to me. I needed action, excitement, and fast paced comedy. Scooby Doo was just... bland. However, the man behind the counter INSISTED it was unlike any other game I'd ever played.

Boy, was he right.

A little background: I was a VERY good gamer when I was younger. Far better than I am now. I used to be able to beat Mario in a single sitting, and now I have trouble with the first few levels. I used to be able to memorize and find all of the hidden areas in all of the games. I was a very formidable gamer at a very young age.

But this silly little adventure game with the silly little missions and the silly little mini games would be my downfall.

There are two missions in the game, Ha ha Carnival, and Blake's Hotel. I'd switch back and forth between the two missions, making relatively good progress in both. I'd get a little stuck in one, take some time off from it and play the other until I got stuck on that one, and return to the other, refreshed and aware.

But then I got to a certain part in Blake's Mansion. I had a variety of items, and had collected a consort of information, but I just couldn't seem to figure the rest out. I'd tried EVERY combination of items, and had checked EVERY location scooby annoyingly pointed his nose to. Nothing worked.

Then I went to Ha Ha Carnival, only to find an equally frustrating road block there. It seems no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't find a bucket of water to get Inky the Octapus. Try and try and try, it was no where to be found.

I met these road blocks at 3 days into the rental. For the subsequent 3 days, I wandered the empty hotel and badgered each and every fat carnie.

The final day of the rental came. I woke up, went into the living room, and stared at the Scooby Doo Mystery cartridge sitting in the Sega Genisis. I just stared at it as it stared back at my raw, innocent child-soul. Thinking back, I wonder if it felt bad for making a poor, 5 year old disabled child so full of hatred.

I calmly took the cartridge out of the sega and pushed it into it's frame inside of the rental box. I closed the case, and placed it on the coffee table next to schindler's list for my mother to return in the morning.

Later in my childhood, the Sega would stop working, and I'd get a PSX, and soon after a PS2 and a computer. I never did forget about that game, though. The one game that I couldn't beat.

Today, 13 years later, I felt nistalgic. I obtained some software and played some old Sega games I'd been missing. Golden Axe is such a fun game. Same with Shanobi. I'm looking at the list of games I have available to play when I see it.

"Scooby Doo Mystery."

It's like she'd been waiting for me. Old rage filled my coursing veins. I loaded up the game, and immediatly partook in the adventure of Blake's Hotel.

That was at 10:30 this morning. It is now 10:30 at night when I am typing this. As of about a half an hour ago, I have BEAT the blasted game that is Scooby Doo Mystery.

And you might ask me: Was it easy? Was I just a stupid kid? What was the "Secret?" My answere is: No. It was as hard as I'd thought. The nonsensical combinations of items, difficulty of a particular bumper car mini-game, and a very large bug that stops you from completing Blakes Mansion make this game more than hard: It makes it a waste of time. I'd spent the past 13 years angry with a game that was, in the end, incompletable anyway.

But I am now the victor. The path has come full circle, and I am supreme.

Congratulations?

Nice story.

A grand accomplishment.

Scooby has been laughing at you

Am I wrong for wanting to violently stab and disembowel Scooby Doo everytime I see him when I really don't have any good reason for hating him other than thinking he's stupid and annoying?

Just something I've wondered for awhile.

I would be the last person to correct you on something star wars related, but the line is "when I left you, I was but the learner..." not "last met" or "apprentice"

Thank god, I am not alone.

Awww damnit, and here I was expecting a new episode of the Dwarf Knight with you actually winning this time.

That would've been awesome, jep.

We need a Hellequin and Kirby's Biographies forum.

Who's laughing now?

Wow. You sure are legondary.

I hate you.

(Scooby Doo rocks, by the way. But only the original show)

I know your pain. Replace "Scooby Doo Mystery" with "Adventure Island" for the NES and we have about the same story. Except the second time around, I still couldn't beat it. Got LOADS further -- the second to the last level, in fact (and beating the level before, 8-2, is no easy task!) The end of 8-3, however, requires you to become The One and hack the game in order to pass the level. I don't think anyone's ever legitimately beaten the game. For the GameFAQs file, the author says "good luck" for 8-3, and I'm certain he just made up 8-4, or hacked it.

*Sigh* Aww...kirby, he's soooo dreamy.

Haha. That actually got a laugh out of me. <3 Steven

i dont get it

Condensed version: HAY GUYZ! I BEAT THIS GAME THAT I COULDN'T SINCE I WAS 6!!!11

Isn't it, "when you left me"?

Okay, maybe it is

Actually, Pommy got it right I just checked.

kk