As soon as the original LEGO Star Wars hit store shelves, rumors began to fly about a sequel based on episodes IV, V, and VI. Well that game has finally arrived! LucasArts (who wrestled the series away from Eidos) has published Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy and it's a delightful action adventure game chock full of wookies, Jedi, and Death Stars. It's really quite charming and its presentation is outstanding. But beneath its candy coated exterior is a disappointingly flawed product that sometimes irritates more than it satisfies.

The main problem lies in the gameplay. Developer Traveller's Tales has done nothing to fix the previous game's issues. The controls, particularly some of the schemes assigned to vehicles are painfully awkward, and targeting enemies is a chore. Furthermore, Lego Star Wars II is unnecessarily difficult. You get an unlimited amount of continues, but that's only because the AI is ridiculously cheap, especially the bosses. This one time, I was battling an AT-ST and the damn thing stomped me flat in seconds. I accepted defeat the first time around (a challenge is definitely a good thing), but I got pissed when my character kept re-spawning directly under the machine's legs. I probably died ten times before I finally removed the driver.

Then there are the puzzles, the various switches and other objectives that must be completed in order to progress. Most times these are fairly easy to figure out, but some of the others are just plain annoying, particularly the first level of Episode V. It's bad enough that the snow speeder controls (while cute in a painfully awkward way) aren't up to code, but I had no idea what I had to do to complete the mission. I just kept flying back and forth and tow-cabling these tiny balls or bombs or whatever they are and I was getting nowhere fast. As a result, the game's appeal wore off and I tossed it into a box. Thankfully, I was moved to give it another go.

Now to its credit, Lego Star Wars II is a pretty good videogame, predominantly because of its presentation. LucasArts and Traveller's Tales did an excellent job capturing the essence of the films while at the same time injecting the game's cut scenes with plenty of humor. Dancing Gamorrean Guards, bathing stormtroopers, and other shenanigans made me laugh on more than one occasion, and by and large, the game looks good. Its visuals are on par with the original, but the simplistic style works. All of the characters look exactly like their toy counterparts, and I love watching the LEGOs fall apart and then go back together again. It also helps that just about everything in the game can be destroyed, which results in all sorts of goodies being left behind. There are tons of things to collect, so if you're a pack rat, you'll definitely love this game, but points take a backseat to the action. The gameplay is very simple in that all you've got to do is blow everything up, and things are kept fresh not only because of the many free-roaming vehicle and on foot segments, but also the ability to swap characters on the fly to solve puzzles. For example, you might be cutting through everyone as Luke Skywalker, but in order to access the next area you'll need to switch off to R2-D2 and open a door using his special hacking skills. The same goes for characters that have to move the plot along. Princess Leia, or rather, the bounty hunter Boussh, is the only character that can free Han Solo from the carbonite in Return of the Jedi. Plus, you'll take part in the most thrilling moments of the trilogy. The Death Star trench run, the battle of Endor, the classic confrontation in the Emperor's throne room; all that and more is at your fingertips.

You can also play through the entire game with the one of numerous hidden characters, and doing this will unlock some bonuses. It also gives you the opportunity to complete Episode IV with Boba Fett or as Darth Vader. You can even play through the entire game using the characters from the original Lego Star Wars, providing you have a save file on your Xbox/memory card. You can even swap parts! A Vader head with a slave Leia body? It can happen.

There's also co-op play, and what's especially cool about this is your partner can jump in and out at will. The only downside is the lack of an online multiplayer mode. Being able to beat the entire game with three other people would've been sweet. Actually, and to take it a step further, being able to death match would've even been sweeter.

It definitely sucks that Traveller's Tales couldn't prevent the first game's problems from infecting this sequel, and I'm not too happy about some of the vehicle controls, but even though Lego Star Wars II isn't exactly the most polished product, I've still got lots of love for it. But that's only because I'm a huge Star Wars fan, and with being said, that's where I'm going to leave you. If you love or even have a mild interest in Star Wars then go play this game immediately. If not...move along! Move along!

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