I have been a fan of the long-standing Indiana Jones franchise for some time now. I have seen all three of the movies in the trilogy, and even a few of the episodes of the sub par Young Indiana Jones TV series. And while I never played the last one to be released, Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine, available for the Nintendo 64 and PC, I have always been a huge fan of the PC adventure games like The Last Crusade (based directly off of the film of the same name) and The Fate of Atlantis. Quite frankly, I feel that I am probably not alone in my love for the series; it is easily one of Harrison Ford's most well known roles, and there have been on-and-off talks over the last several years of filming a fourth installment for the big screen.

Because of the film's popularity, the games tend to come under heavy criticism (as they well should). Reading a few reviews of The Infernal Machine will let you know very quickly just how unpolished and "blah" the last game was. The game played out far too much like Tomb Raider, which has a not-so-surprisingly similar concept, and not enough Indiana flare to set it apart. I am sure many had such reservations about the latest Jones release; I certainly was one of them. Although I really wanted this one to be something special, to rekindle that movie magic, I had my doubts, and early reviews seemed to beat down on the game pretty hard. I saw the same words that I didn't want to see: "Tomb Raider rip-off."

But you know what? They are wrong; they really are. Unless you are totally unfamiliar with the Indiana Jones license, in which case I'm not sure what is attracting you to the game in the first place, there is a lot to like here. I will not say that the game is groundbreaking by any means, but it is one of the best Indiana Jones games to hit the scene in years, and despite a few technical flaws, there is much fun to be had.

The key is atmosphere: Indiana Jones is different from all the imitators because it has the perfect balance of exotic locations, rough and dangerous action, and just the right dash of humor during the tensest scenes. It is not an action game, and it is not a puzzle game; it is an adventure game. Many developers have forgotten about this genre of old, and modern attempts of revival tend to burn out before they have a chance to really shine. This game is not about fighting, though you will fight in it. This game is not about solving puzzles, though you will have to solve puzzles in the game. This game is not about crazy platform jumping, though you will do your fair share of it. An adventure game is about balancing all of these and other factors just right so as to fend off monotony, and to feel like you are really exploring.

You see, Indiana Jones is a swashbuckling archaeologist (two words that in reality will almost never go together), and archaeologists explore. This is what The Emperor's Tomb is all about, and with that mindset, you can really get into the game.

I think that the most important element in a game like this is its overall presentation. If you do not feel like you are in the jungle, traipsing through ancient ruins, or walking the streets of mid-20th century Europe or a Chinese palace, then the game will not be fun to play. Fortunately, The Emperor's Tomb features really fantastic level design, with each of the ten levels (which are further broken down into several different sections) offering visual variety. Visually, the game scenery looks enticing, with few rough polygonal edges to draw you out of the environment. Texture reuse throughout levels of a similar setting is obviously being employed, but that is to be expected, and does not really detract from the setting.

The characters in the game are a mixed bag, in terms of both graphics and voice acting. Indy himself not only looks great, but sounds just like Harrison Ford. The developers should be commended at doing one of the best jobs I've heard in a game to date. The facial expressions and calm mannerisms of Indy are also reproduced well. Other main characters in the game receive similar treatment, and look and sound very good, with high quality facial textures and high polygon counts, and fairly decent voice acting. Lesser characters tend to receive a more muddied appearance, along with spotty voice acting. This does serve as a distraction in the cut scenes, but cut scenes with unimportant characters to the plot are generally shorter in length than those that are plot-specific.

Of course, the classic Indiana Jones theme music is present, which will really help Indy veterans get into the adventure more. All of the game's music is orchestral and appropriate to the scene at hand. It will also change according to the level of danger that Indy is facing, with more calm, reserved music in moments without immediate threat, and more frantic, action-oriented pieces playing when Indy is taking on a number of villains.

Overall, I would not call the game's presentation perfect, nor would I call it mediocre. It has its weaknesses, but its strong points carry it through. With the Xbox hardware being as powerful as it is, I am sure that this title could have looked better, but it certainly does not look bad. What looks superb really shines, and what detracts is never horrible. It is not as nice as I would have preferred, but it more than adequately gets the job done.

However, presentation is only half of the journey; even the most graphically stunning games must have the gameplay to back it up. As a whole, I think that The Emperor's Tomb has more than enough great gameplay to compliment its atmosphere. Again, this is an adventure title, and it mixes different elements together to achieve this goal. For starters, this is not an open-ended game; it is linear, but it has to be this way (at least to some degree). Working with a recognizable, established character, things have to be done in specific ways in order to keep the persona of the character true to its namesake. Indiana Jones has to be act like and perform things as Indiana Jones would. Thankfully, the levels do not feel too linear; while there is really only one way to traverse through each level, the design always makes it feel as if you are choosing this path yourself.

The rest of the game fits into a pattern of exploration, puzzle solving, fist/weapon fights, and daring platforming. At least for me, these elements never really felt out of place. Guards were present when and only if they needed to be present. In other words, hordes of bad guys don't just swarm around you for no apparent reason. They tend to stay close to places that actually need guarding. Fights themselves are generally pretty interesting, as well as satisfying. Indy can equip an item from his inventory to use as a weapon, use his bare hands, or pick up items from the scenery (e.g., chairs, bottles, knives, etc.) Indy always has his whip handy, which can be used for swinging over perilous pits, or to wrap around the neck of an annoying villain, only to drag him up to you and then beat him over the head. You can always just straight up shoot them as well, although gun ammo is somewhat limited in the levels (which is good, because gunplay isn't really Indy's forte).

I might add that the animation in the game is really superb, especially in the fight scenes. There is a variety of different animations for the different moves and different objects being used as weapons, and while sometimes the transition between animations is a little bit rough, the actual animations themselves are pretty stellar, and accurately represent those timeless Indy mannerisms. The camera is also quite maneuverable, which makes taking on multiple enemies not such a daunting (though still challenging) task.

Puzzles and platforming, I felt, maintained a really nice balance. Puzzles are generally not too hard, but when a challenging puzzle does arise, solving it is always a satisfying event. There is the typical "flip the switch" type of puzzle thrown around in the game, but usually these are accompanied in a much larger puzzle setup. Platforming, on the other hand, is more prevalent in the game, but also helps keep the action lively. The jumping or swinging is never overdone or insane (as it is with many modern platformers), and it definitely adds the needed element of always present danger that the game needs.

Is this the best Indiana Jones game to date? No. Personally, I recommend that you go pick up a copy of The Fate of Atlantis for the PC if you want to play the cream of the crop. However, that title did not have to worry about the pitfalls of 3-D gaming, and it did not offer any sort of the sense of danger and adventure that this game offers, thanks to the freedom of movement. It is certainly better than the last attempt at a 3-D Indy, and while not as refined as I wish it would be, it is still a whole lot of fun to play through. Thanks to its exotic locales and Indy-esque animation, it brings the feel of the movies into the control of your hands, backed by a solid story and all the right adventure elements. No, it is no holy grail, but I think for most people (especially fans of the series), it is definitely worth the price tag.