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Genre: Children's Action/Adventure

Format: DVD

Developer: Giant Entertainment

Mac Publisher: Aspyr Media

Minimum System Requirements: Mac OS X v10.3.8, 1.2GHz G4/G5, 512MB RAM, 2GB free disk space, ATI Radeon 9000 or NVidia GeForce FX5200 with 32MB VRAM, DVD drive

Review Computer: 1.5GHz iMac, 256MB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce2 MX video card; and 1.5GHz 17" PowerBook, 512MB RAM, ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (AGP 4X) graphics processor with 64MB of DDR SDRAM

Network Feature: No

Price: $29.99

ESRB Rating: E (violence)

Availability: Now

Official Website: www.legostarwarsthevideogame.com

Ah, if only Lego Star Wars had come out when Star Wars movies were good, and when Lego sets came with more than three pieces in the box. But let us not drink from the well of bitter nostalgia.

Lego Star Wars (LSW) is a delightfully fun game; perfect for little kids, and enjoyable by oldsters, too (though they probably won't find it at all challenging). It's fun along the lines of acting out scenes with Lego minifigs, only when stuff blows up, it blows up, and you don't have to worry about losing the critical 4-peg. Or stepping on it.

The game features characters from the "Episodes" (yes, including JarJar), all rendered in glorious minifig blockiness. Rendered, and dismembered, too; when killed, they pop apart into their component pieces. But bricky though they may be, they move fluidly, especially during combat where simple hits are transformed into acrobatic martial arts combos.

LSW features an interesting variation on multiplayer action; it begins with two characters, Obi-Wan and Qui...Kiwi...Obi-Wan and Liam Neeson. If two humans are playing the game (using a cramped keyboard configuration), each takes control of one character. If only one person is playing, however, the other character simply tags along. Eventually, you run into other characters (like a protocol droid in the style of C-3PO (SEE-THREE-PEA-OH)) who will join your party.

Each character has special abilities: Jedi telekinesis, opening certain doors, but to use them, you have to take control of the character. You do this by running up to them and hitting an action key, but this, of course, leaves the original character unattended and generally useless. The game is certainly playable in single-player mode, but to reach some areas of the environment, you'll need two players working together; for example, having one character stand on a platform that another mentally raises. In single-player mode, the dummy character will hop off in order to remain close to the controlled character.

Combat is simple, bordering on repetitive. The foes aren't that smart, and even defeating the tough ones is usually a matter of tenacity. If you do get killed, you can resurrect immediately, an unlimited number of times. This will keep the kiddies from getting frustrated, but also removes pretty much any challenge from the game.

There are also environmental puzzles which are a snap to solve. Need to reassemble a machine? The parts scattered around the room will glow if you can interact with them (as does everything else usable in the game). Need to shut down a forcefield? Just find the platform you need to step on, and your buddy will run over to do the same on the second one.

The game keeps score based on how many special Lego pieces you capture. Usually hidden in your surroundings, they'll also appear after the defeat of certain enemies. Different pegs are worth different amounts based on their color, and if you capture enough of them (which is remarkably easy to do), you'll get bonus points.

In short, LSW is a simple game for children, done exceptionally well. It looks, well, great, if you consider a Lego world a thing of beauty (I do). The game play is simple, unlike the Bionicle game (which I hated), and the controls translate to the Mac keyboard rather well. Adults will find it a pleasant diversion, and kids will eat it up like non-toxic plastic injected with FD&C Yellow #5.

Strengths: Pure, simple fun. Weaknesses: Designed for kids, adults may find it too free of risks.

Bill's been using Macs since the late 80s. When he's not making smartass remarks to amuse Kirk Hiner, he enjoys fighting for the user.