System:	Windows
Score:	4 (Good)

LEGO Star Wars II is, simply, a very fun game that can be enjoyed by a wide age range. I have the PC version, so this review is specifically based on my experiences playing the PC version (using a PS2 controller), but I expect that the game plays similarly on its console ports (GameCube, PS2, and X-Box).

The game plays through the plot of the Star Wars original trilogy - Episodes IV through VI - using LEGO pieces. The characters are all built out of LEGO pieces. Every piece is a real LEGO piece, although quite a few come from the Star Wars LEGO sets. (For example, the lightsabers, C3PO's head and Darth Vader's helmet.) You could imagine the game playing out in reality out of LEGO parts, although a little imagination would be required to make the blasters work and ships fly.

If you grew up playing with LEGO sets, this is really neat. Plenty of traditional LEGO items can be discovered throughout the game. The blasters that many characters wield are black loud-speaker pieces turned around with a single red stud on the end.

Certain sets of LEGO bricks can be rebuilt into new items to solve puzzles. One early example in the game is a door that a Jedi (or Sith) can use the Force to turn into a TIE-fighter model, which effectively opens the passageway.

Other sets of LEGO bricks are found simply lying on the ground, which need to be built into something to continue with the game. For example, in the first level, you can build a small bridge out of LEGO bricks in order to cross a small chasm.

The game is not without its flaws. As always, the camera can fight against you, making certain areas more frustrating than they need to be. The game frequently sends more waves of enemies after you than it really fun. While defeating a group of Stormtroopers guarding a room can be fun, having them continue to rappel in gets annoying very quickly.

The biggest flaw that has to be mentioned is the way the game starts. When you start a new game, you get immediately dumped in the Mos Eisley Cantina, in front of the bar, with absolutely no instructions on what to do. As it turns out, there's only one level available at this time, and it provides instructions on how to play. But the initial start can be quite confusing - especially since other characters wander the Cantina and will shoot back if accidentally shot.

Combat is more annoying that it has to be. The characters automatically aim (a good thing, as the controls aren't sensitive enough to allowing aiming otherwise), but unfortunately, allied characters or innocent bystanders are fair game for the auto-aim function. While Leia slapping Chewbacca to death might seem a little funny, it gets annoying when you were trying to shoot an enemy and die as a result.

Lightsaber combat is even more annoying. Lightsabers do the same damage as blasters, but have a much smaller range. In general, if stuck with playing as a Jedi, it's best to try and deflect blaster bolts back then actually engage in mêlée combat. Fortunately very few levels force the use of only Jedi characters, allowing the more efficient blaster-wielders to take on the infinitely respawning enemy minifigure hordes.

Death has very little consequence. Each player has four hearts - losing all four hearts causes the player to "die" which involves their minifigure shattering into pieces, and up to 2000 studs (points used to unlock extras) are dropped. This makes the game easier than it could be - but also makes the annoying combat system much easier to live with.

The other caveat I have to mention about the PC version is that, as mentioned before, I'm using a PS2 controller to play. The keyboard control is pretty terrible, although I can't fault the game for that - keyboards aren't intended to be used for games like this. So if playing the PC version, it's best to use a good game pad.

Overall the game's upsides outweigh the downsides, providing a fun and relatively simple gaming experience. However you really need to be a fan of both LEGO sets and the original Star Wars trilogy to get the most enjoyment out of the game. Much of the fun derives from watching how LEGO objects are used to play out the Star Wars plot.