For over a decade LEGO has captivated us with their brilliant building block adaptations of George Lucas's saga.  The company launched a games division many moons ago, yet for some reason or other, it never occurred that a Star Wars video game using LEGO blocks would be a good idea.  Finally it had, and before the release of Revenge of the Sith, LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game was born.

Starring Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Maul, General Grievous, R2-D2, C-3PO and many other LEGO variations of your favorite characters, LEGO Star Wars is the perfect way to get prepared for the darkest and most serious movie in the saga...without taking things too seriously.

LEGO Star Wars is based around the gameplay of lightsaber action (slashing droids and other adversaries), flight combat (control LEGO-made Star Wars ships in outer space!), and using the Force (draw blocks and other objects close and move them to different locations).  Several characters are available, over 30 of which can be controlled.  This doesn't make such an enormous difference that it's like playing a different game each time (they all use lightsabers, therefore some of their combat moves were bound to be similar, if not exactly the same).  But it does put the kind of smile on your face that only a Star Wars game can. 

Too cool for words. 

Since this is the end of the trilogy for Lucas (and for the fans who do not follow the expanded universe), the developers didn't have time to release three separate LEGO games that covered each movie in the prequel trilogy.  Does that mean we should have to miss out on the fun of seeing Darth Maul on the game screen and in LEGO form?  They didn't think so, cramming all three films into one fun game package.

Upon entering the third episode, it was hard not to hesitate.  It was hard not to stop playing and wait for May 19th to arrive before finishing the game.  I avoid spoilers and rarely read interviews.  The only things I know about Episode III are the presumed facts and everything that's been revealed in the trailers (like Palpatine using his lightsaber – unbelievable!).  But a video game that covers the final film...should I really proceed? 

The Dark Side I sense in you. 

"This is LEGO," I thought to myself.  "They couldn't spoil too much...right?"  Luckily I was.  The game reveals tiny tidbits and goes deeper into the story, covering a little more than what has been revealed in the Revenge of the Sith TV spots.  But they're not huge spoilers.  As always I recommend that, if you want to be truly surprised and no nothing about the movie, stay away from LEGO Star Wars and any other new Star Wars game until after the movie is released.  (To be honest I find that Star Wars games, even the lower-quality ones, are always two to three times as fun when I play them after seeing a new Star Wars Movie.)

Graphically, LEGO Star Wars is destined to earn smirks and smiles from beginning to end.  Just look at their lightsabers – true polygon versions of the plastic pieces that come with the real LEGO sets!  Their attire is exact; simple drawings that indicate fabric folds where they don't really exist.  The ships are out of this world, taking me back to a childhood not so far, far away.  Childhood?  I still play with my LEGO sets!  (And buy the new ones.) 

Obi-Wan’s starfighter in classic LEGO form. 

The coolest things about the graphics is the one thing this game could not live without: realistic LEGO block destruction.  Take out a battle droid and watch him crumble.  Not in a fake, broken down motion.  Not in a way that emulates the way a real robot might fall apart (you know, if a lightsaber just happen to slice through it).  LEGO Star Wars showcases destruction with the abolishment of LEGO blocks in the same way your little brother would as a kid.  Using the Force pulls block walls apart in a way that kids could only fantasize about.  It's such a cool game to watch that you almost forget how repetitive it is.

Repetition is, as with most Star Wars games, the number-one flaw.  It's not a catastrophic problem, but there is a limit to how much a person can slash through an environment, regardless of how cool everything looks.  The character movement isn't ultra-fast (they control more like a slow action/adventure), which makes the act of slashing droids a little less exciting than it could have been.  Note that I said a little less exciting.  In spite of its flaws, LEGO Star Wars is an exciting and at times hilarious game. 

Gameplay: 8.5
Who knew what kind of a game this would turn out to be?  You could assume, but never predict that LEGO Star Wars would become one of the most talked about Star Wars games around.  The graphics give it hype; a unique flare that'll raise eyebrows.  The gameplay gives gamers something more substantial.  Something to call their friends up and say, with more excitement than a Wookiee who won a game of chess, "I just got the new LEGO Star Wars game!" 

Graphics: 8.5
One of the coolest-looking games I have ever played.  Screw realistic physics and all the stuff we normally talk about.  LEGO Star Wars is beautiful in a way that no other game is.  I suppose if they had developed a game based on the Harry Potter LEGO sets it would have received just as much praise.  But this is the first of its kind.  We've seen other LEGO games before, but never did we have something real to compare it to.  Not only do we have the real LEGO sets, but we also have the Star Wars movies themselves, as well as the plethora of Star Wars video games.  LEGO Star Wars lives up to the saga.  Aside from its short length, there's no reason to be disappointed.

Sound: 8
The classic sounds of...LEGO?  LEGO doesn't really have a "sound," unless you count the clashing of plastic when your dog runs loose to be a soundtrack.  Nonetheless, LEGO Star Wars sounds like a Star Wars game + block sound effects that don't sound very realistic, but complete the experience.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Not the toughest game in the galaxy.

Concept: 8.9
The idea alone is simple but brilliant.  Cramming so many different characters and LEGO sets into one game, not to mention the different types of gameplay – each of those elements helped boost the concept to an unusually high level.

Multiplayer: 8
Two-player co-op means never having to finish the game alone (or never having to hog one controller, depending on whether you view the glass as half full or half empty).  Like a community college, your friend can drop in and out of the game at any time.

Overall: 8.5
There's no better way to celebrate the fun and anticipation of the trilogy than to play through a great game that covers each episode.  Brick for brick, LEGO Star Wars is a fun action/adventure with lots to love, regardless of your age.  Traveller's Tales, the awesome studio behind some of the video game adaptations of Pixar's classic films, is also responsible for bringing the Star Wars saga to life in full 3D.  This is one game, perhaps the only game, where it's a compliment to say that the graphics are blocky.