Don't Go Near the Fortress of Fear

Don't Go Near the Fortress of Fear is the fourteenth episode of the third season of the The Scooby-Doo Show, and the thirty-eighth episode overall in the series.

Premise
The gang head Puerto Rico to go on holiday. They visit an ancient fortress where the ghost of General Juan Carlos, who guards the El-Morro fortress, warns them to stay away.

Synopsis
The gang heads to Puerto Rico for vacation. When they arrive, they discover that a museum has been robbed of its priceless treasures. They then hear explosions coming from a nearby abandoned fortress and decide to check it out. While they are there, Shaggy and Scooby discover that one of the old cannons is still hot, meaning it has been used recently. A ghost appears and begins to chase them. They escape and decide to keep the ghost a secret so they won't have to go back to the fortress.

The next day, the gang goes on a fishing trip and decides to ask Captain Eddie about the fortress. According to legend, the El Marro Fortress is haunted and guarded by 16th century Spanish General, Juan Carlos, who often sets off the cannons. They head back to the fortress to investigate, much to Shaggy and Scooby's dismay. After seeing the ghost, Fred, Velma, and Daphne head to Puerto Rico's hall of records, leaving Shaggy and Scooby at the fortress. At the hall of records, Daphne discovers a map of Puerto Rico that shows a tunnel leading from the museum to the fortress. Velma believes the robbery at the museum is connected with the ghost of Juan Carlos.

The three find the tunnel entrance under a fake phone booth and follow the tunnel to the fortress. They discover all of the stolen treasure in the tunnel. Shaggy and Scooby crash down into the tunnel and fall onto a crate full of hollow cannonballs and parachutes. Velma discovers what is going on and they decide to trap Juan Carlos. After Scooby accidentally traps him, they discover the culprit is Captain Eddie. He had been using the hollow cannonballs and parachutes to send the treasure to his boat, where he then took it out of the country. He used the legend of Juan Carlos as an excuse to shoot off the cannons. He was then taken into custody by Inspector Armandez of the Puerto Rico police, who had been following the gang the entire time.

Villains

 * Ghost of Juan Carlos

Locations

 * Puerto Rico
 * El Moro Fortress
 * Hall of Records
 * Museum

Notes/trivia

 * This episode originally aired under the Scooby's All-Stars block.

Animation mistakes and/or technical glitches

 * When Scooby and Shaggy first join the others in the underground tunnel the background shows sky and trees.

Inconsistencies/continuity errors and/or goofs/oddities

 * The "fake phone booth" that fooled the police is a simple glass booth with an "Out of Order" sign on it. It contains no telephone.
 * The gang thought they were trapped and looked for a way out when they could just follow the tunnel back to the museum. The few bricks Juan Carlos dropped down through a trapdoor couldn't possibly have blocked the wide tunnel.

Home media

 * Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!: The Complete Third Season DVD set released April 10, 2007.
 * Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!: The Complete Series DVD set released November 9, 2010.