LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars

The idea of a Star Wars game made entirely out of LEGO bits and pieces sounded quite dreadful to me at first. Being a severely passionate fan of the Star Wars films - and the expansive universe connected to it - I just couldn't see how a seemingly ill-fitting union of LEGO and George Lucas' creation could be anything but heresy. So imagine my surprise when Traveller's Tales managed to pull of a real Jedi mind trick by making the games not just enjoyable, but some of the more entertaining games to have carried the weighty Star Wars title. In theory, one would assume that these games are aimed at the younger audience, but since the first LEGO Star Wars there has been a free-spirited sense of humor and a charming atmosphere around the franchise which has pulled in gamers of all ages. LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars is more of the same exuberant action, stuffed to the rafters with things to do and places to see, and looking better than the series ever has before.

Having already given the core Star Wars films - both the prequels and the original classics - the proper LEGO treatment in past installments, Traveller's Tales latest outing is set in the Clone Wars era, based on the successful animated television series. As such, the missions which make up the main story mode here are derived from the plot of the show, along with all the recognisable characters and locations. There are different primary story threads to follow which spawn from a central hub, a sprawling Republic starship which will be your main base of operations for the duration of this colourful adventure, giving you freedom to choose in which order you tackle the various narratives.

Once you start digging into the different options available from your central hub it's almost unbelievable just how much Traveller's Tales has managed to pack into this game. It's bursting at the seams with content, ready to explode in a shower of Star Wars goodness. This is by far the most ambitious release in the LEGO franchise's history, packed to the brim with game modes, things to collect and unlock, and different gameplay styles; it's quite impressive to say the least. The core game may not be hugely different from the previous titles in the series, but just about everything has been expanded and improved upon, while new gameplay elements throw even more into an already overloaded mix.

Something which really takes the LEGO Star Wars series in a new direction is the addition of a real-time strategy element, involving full battlefield engagements which require basic resource management, structure placement and troop deployment. It's far less taxing than it may sound though, being a very marginalized take on traditional RTS gameplay, neatly streamlined to fit in with the rest of the game's easy-going nature. Splicing RTS-style missions in between the standard on-foot and vehicle-based sections adds an all new level of depth to the LEGO Star Wars formula. The only problem is that these sections - while simplified compared to what we've come to expect from the RTS genre - could still prove too complicated for younger gamers. To compound the problem there isn't nearly enough guidance for newcomers to make the most of this side of the game, which could prove frustrating for those who just want to get back to the lightsaber shenanigans of the core game.

This lack of guidance is a regular occurrence in LEGO Star Wars III. There are occassional on-screen prompts to give you a nudge in the right direction, but all too often the objectives aren't clearly explained. The solutions to some of the problems you will face along the way can be quite obscure, and without proper guidance it becomes an act of trial and error to make progress at times. A challenge is one thing, but keep in mind that we're expecting kids to play this game, kids with notoriously short attention spans. Don't be surprised if your little one gives up on this one within the first hour if he or she is playing alone.

A big part of the solution to this problem is the brilliantly executed co-op mode, allowing two to work together to unravel some of the more mysterious aspects of the gameplay. Besides being able to guide a younger gamer, playing through the story with a partner is far more entertaining experience than going at it alone. This also eliminates the sometimes dodgy AI routines which control your NPC allies in the single-player mode.

Your little away-team of Jedi and friends who you take with you on each mission is usually made up of three or so characters, yet it often seems like it's only when under your direct control that they make any real contribution to the action. Too often I watched in awe as Obi-wan Kenobi dropped off the same ledge over and over again, or R2-D2 reversed into a wall repeatedly until I took control of him. Swapping between characters also needs to be tweaked: unless you point your analogue stick in the direction of another character, the 'swap' command does nothing - I imagine it would have been simple to implement a basic character cycling system to flick through available characters with one button.

These issues aside, the actual gameplay here can be a lot of fun. The levels are so diverse - one minute you're ambushing a squad of Seperatist droids, and the next you're tearing through space in a Republic starfighter, trying to disable a gargantuan enemy cruiser that fills the screen many times over. The on-foot sections are filled with puzzles to solve, some straightforward and some requiring a bit of brainwork, with shrewd level design and an incredible amount of things to discover and collect. There are vehicle sections scattered throughout the game, and while they do add to the variety they are rather imprecise to control and can be frustrating to manoeuvre accurately.

Combat is a very simple affair, but even so things can become quite heated when fighting off multiple enemies. The boss battles tend to take place over a number of phases, and usually require a balance of melee attacks, Force powers and quick reflexes to get through unscathed. The limited Force powers - while nowhere near as impactful as what we've seen in the Force Unleashed series - make a worthy addition to your arsenal, useful during combat and proving essential for many of the puzzle sections. Whether fighting Separatist forces on the battlefield or exploring the dark corridors of an enemy ship, every moment is accompanied by a typically bombastic soundtrack which compliments the action perfectly. This, along with all the sound effects and so on from the LucasArts stable, makes for an authentic Star Wars audio experience.

It is impressive to see how Traveller's Tales has managed to inject such a light-hearted vibe into the Star Wars world with these LEGO titles, and it's this tongue-in-cheek attitude that makes LEGO Star Wars III a far more entertaining game to play than you might imagine. It's the small things that score the big points here, the nuances of the character interactions - emotion, expression and that all important comic timing, somehow all conveyed by animated LEGO figurines.

The characters never utter a single word - all conversation in cut-scenes is handled with nonsensical mumbles and groans - but this actually adds to the humor, perhaps reminiscent of the comedy legends of the silent movie era where words were superfluous. Even so, sometimes the lack of dialogue makes it difficult to follow the details of the story, and this sort of vague approach to the narrative can leave you feeling bewildered at times. Gamers with an affinity for the legendary Lucas-created universe will look past this occasional lack of direction though, and just seeing the iconic Star Wars universe built out of LEGO bricks is enough to warm the hearts of the Star Wars faithful.

The LEGO Star Wars games may have started as a cute gimmick, but the years spent refining the franchise has resulted in a game with an arresting visual flair that surpasses what you would think should be possible with virtual plastic blocks. This is without a doubt the best looking title in the series so far, with surprisingly detailed environments, stunningly executed lighting effects and improved character models. Obviously there is only so much you can do with little LEGO men, but the top notch texturing and slick animation system really bring your favourite Star Wars characters to life in style.

Environments are not made entirely of LEGO - that would probably be far too restrictive as a design tool - but there are enough LEGO elements everywhere to keep the theme intact. Much of the gameworld that is made out of LEGO bricks can be destroyed in a spectacular mess of plastic bits and pieces, freeing a bunch of different coloured LEGO studs which act as the primary collectibles and in-game currency.

Gamers who can't sleep until they have found every collectible item in every level will be in heaven here, because there are literally tens of thousands of these studs scattered around the world. If using them to unlock new characters and open previously sealed sections of the hub space station wasn't enough motivation, your successful collection of LEGO studs is what determines your "True Jedi" rating at the end of each mission - and come on, who doesn't want a 100% True Jedi score? There is much more to unlock and discover through the different game modes, more than most will ever have the skill or patience to find. Certain areas can only be accessed by specific characters, rewarding those who return to the levels in Free Play mode with even more to explore.

The wealth of content available in Traveller's Tales' latest adventure really is commendable - completionists might even be overwhelmed with just how much has to be done to get close to that illusive 100%. As varied as the different gameplay modes are, some sections can become repetitive after a while. There is a certain level of grinding involved for the on-foot sections if you are looking to collect as many studs as possible, which slows everything down and kills the momentum of the story.

That being said, the option to choose the order in which you work through the different core narratives means that you can mix it up to some extent, which helps a lot to keep things fresh. The simplified base building and resource management elements, together with the improved - if limited - space flight sections breathe life into the LEGO series, adding to the already entertaining lightsaber-swinging gameplay that makes up the majority of the action. Some might say that Traveller's Tales have been a bit too ambitious this time around, adding more and more to the core game instead of focusing on developing existing elements, but the overall result is a polished and well executed romp through the Star Wars universe. Younger gamers may struggle to make head or tails of some of it, but LEGO Star Wars III's colourful and upbeat nature should be enough to raise the game above the few missteps along the way. Consider this a new benchmark for the LEGO franchise to aspire to, and a great entry point for those new to the quirky adventure series.

Pros: