Can you imagine a role-playing/adventure game based upon a license that lets you build things with little blocks? Hey, wonders never cease, but that's exactly what THQ has cooked up with their latest Lego offering for the Game Boy Advance, Lego Knights' Kingdom. Granted, it's nothing that sticks out in the realm of imaginative gameplay, but, considering the license and the duds that it's had, it's still nice to see, and I'm sure the game will find its audience.

The game allows you take control of a league of knights, out to save the Kingdom of Morcia from a menace threatening to beseige the kingdom. This means taking on a barrage of foes and finding your way through new areas, with the help of some short and long range attacks along the way. The game also involves some switch-hitting that adds a bit of puzzle solving, but nothing over the top.

If there's one thing that tremendously annoys me about Lego Knights' Kingdom, it's having to start a level all over again after losing a battle. I'm sure that the folks at THQ were just trying to help the younger audience get a hang of some of the gameplay features, but having them go through parts of a game they've already beaten? It just seems like an unnecessary jump through hoops to me.

However, past that, the game does have some good design to it, as your knights must make their way through certain terrain, taking on enemies and the occasional boss in their quest to save the kingdom. Nothing really stands out about the graphics, but they still form a decent world to ravage through. Likewise with the sound. It's extremely average, not really annoying but not inspiring either. Overall, I'd say there's enough here to get the job done, nothing more.

The gameplay is where Lego Knights' Kingdom has its moments, like with the ability to strafe around an enemy Zelda-style, or being able to fire off long range attacks with ease (by holding down the attack button until your glowing sword is ready). You can also use a shield to guard yourself against attacks, or just let the enemies have it with some quick sword swipes. It's not rocket science, it's pretty easy to get into and works fine.

The only problem is, the game can only be so much to so many. Kids will no doubt enjoy the stuff packed into it, but older gamers will probably beat it pretty quickly. Furthermore, the mini jousting game thrown in doesn't offer that much extra value, and the ability to go against someone in multiplayer combat, while nice to have, doesn't really offer much in the long run.

But I digress. Progress is progress, and Lego Knights' Kingdom is actually a pretty good entry in the long-running Lego video game line-up, a decent surprise with some gameplay to enjoy and a worthy quest. Is it for everyone? No, but younger kids and amateur adventure players will no doubt want to snap it up and have themselves a few good knights.