With so many high points in this game, it's not easy figuring out where to start.  From my introduction you could conclude that the gameplay is excellent.  You'd be right making that assumption, but what you wouldn't know is all of the little things that make it great.  There are several different aspects to the gameplay: battling, exploring and puzzle solving are the ones that are most frequently encountered, and changed often to prevent the game from becoming stale.

Fighting enemies is not always an easy task (by that same token it's not always hard either), but the game gives you a ton of different ways to defeat them.  Hand-to-hand combat is fun and a good way to save ammo when using a gun isn't necessary.  There are about three or four combos that Indiana Jones can perform by pressing the square and X buttons in conjunction with the left analog stick.

Always at Indy's side is his trusty whip.  While not very powerful, it can be used to stun enemies, to trip them or to knock weapons out of their hands.  Be careful though – tripped enemies get up very quickly.  While holding onto his whip, Indy can punch with his left hand, giving him even more attack options.

Then there are the guns, which come in the traditional revolver flavor, as well as the unbeatable semi-automatic.  For those extra quiet moments, there's nothing like a gun with a silencer.  Speaking of silence, Indy can sneak up on enemies, grab and punch or kick them before they even know what 'em.  This won't eliminate the enemy as it would in a more violent game (where neck-snapping might take place), but it is still another attack option.

The weapon combat is really good.  It must've been a real challenge to coordinate all of these different combat styles and make them function properly, considering how Indy can lean up against walls, peak over and fire his weapon just as Solid Snake would.  It's certainly not as perfected as Hideo Kojima's masterpiece, but it is done very well, and does not take long to get the hang of.

Each level is broken down into a series of scenarios.  Most of them are fairly short, but there are a lot of them, so it balances itself out.  Plus, almost every location in the game is huge.  I mean really huge!  Some of the areas didn't even need to be as big as they are (since Indy may only have one quick objective), but it's nice having this much to explore.

As far as the levels' design goes, The Collective did a great job of making them challenging and enjoyable to explore.  The only problem with the levels is that sometimes it's difficult to figure out what you're supposed to do next.  The objective list isn't very informative, so you are more or less stuck running back and forth, looking for a clue.  Usually the answer is easy – like finding a ledge that you can jump towards and climb to a switch.  But without any indication of this being your goal, the game can get a little frustrating.  Games have been doing this for years, and the alternative (giving the player too much level information) has turned out to be a disaster in many games.  Still, a few hints here and there would have been nice.

If you stick with it though, Indy isn't really that difficult of a game.  The pictures on the back of the box don't reveal how deep some of the levels are.  You could be running through a tomb, miss a jump and fall into a lake.  Some of the lakes lead to areas that were otherwise inaccessible; some are integral to the game, others are optional.  In the library, you'll have to traverse many bookcases and find a switch that unlocks a hidden door.  Within that library is a hidden area with a water fountain.  Water fountains are used to replenish your health and fill your canteen.  (That's not the only means for healing though – you can also find medical packs.)

As mentioned before, Indiana Jones can swim in this adventure, and once again the controls are great.  All you do is hold down the circle button and move the left analog stick in the direction that you wish to swim.  You can use a machete to cut through vines, just as you can outside of water.  (Additionally, the machete is yet another weapon Indy can use.)

Oddly, the graphics don't even come close to matching the quality of the gameplay.  Normally a game of this stature would look unbelievable, but The Emperor's Tomb's graphics have more in common with PS2 launch titles than anything else.  The backgrounds are grainy, the characters don't have the most realistic faces, and the overall look of the game is dated.  PS2 has a lot more power than this -- just look at Metal Gear Solid 3.  That might be an unfair comparison, so it must be said that the latest Tomb Raider game looks better, too.

Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb is a great adventure game.  It is a little slower and little mellower than you might expect, but that doesn't hinder the gameplay much.  It's actually more fun NOT having to fight an enemy every step of the way, and instead have a wide variety of tasks to complete.

Gameplay: 8
Itching to raid some tombs?  Then you've come to the right place.  Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb is by far one of the best third-person adventure games to come around in a while.  This is the first Indy game I've played in years, so I can't comment on the series quality, but I'm willing to bet that this is the best one yet.  The Collective took some of the greatest gameplay features and put them into one fully-functional game.  There are virtually no significant glitches.  The game plays great.  This is a must-buy for Indy fans and for anyone who loved the first Tomb Raider.

Graphics: 6
Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb does not look as visually appealing as a game of this quality should.  Gameplay comes first, but I fear the somewhat grainy graphics may turn off foolish, eye candy-hungry gamers.

Sound: 7
Musically, Indy is good, but the sound quality is relatively poor.  It's kind of strange, considering that this game uses the DVD format.  Somehow it missed the boat on DVD-quality (or even near DVD-quality) sound.  The new voices are acceptable, but are nothing to write home about.

Difficulty: Medium
Indy's difficulty lies within its levels.  The puzzles, the traps – those are the things that will bring you down in this game.  Enemies are powerful in great numbers, but weak when fought one-on-one.  Assuming your health is full, it doesn't matter if you have a gun or not because you will almost always be able to defeat a group of enemies.

Concept: 8.5
Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb is the perfect example of how to use a movie license!  You take all of the things that people love about the movie and bring them to the virtual world.  This game forgoes the typical "run, shoot and kill" formula and tries something different.  The results are excellent, and make this one of the best adventure games available.

Overall: 8
There's a lot to love about Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb.  This game is definitely all about the gameplay experience and concentrates on nothing else.  In the book "Game Creation and Careers: Insider Secrets from Industry Experts," Jason Rubin (creator of the Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter series) says that for every hour spent making the graphics look better, you lose an hour that could be spent making the game play better.  His words have proven to be true in many cases, especially here.  This may not be the prettiest game, but it plays great.  It's a little mellow, yet still very addictive.  Indy and Tomb Raider fans will love it.