Like many of you, my room back in NJ is loaded with Star Wars collectibles both old and new. There was a time during my college years where my friends and I would go on these toy runs after dinner and come back with all this stuff, and while most it is sitting on shelves and in cabinets collecting dust, I'm proud of my collection, in particular my box of Star Wars Legos. Now I don't know about you, but Lego truly propelled itself to legendary status when it released its first wave of Star Wars themed products. Not only was I drawn to them because I love to play with blocks, but the things were just so awesome-looking that I had to pick them up.

Fast forward to 2005 and I've cooled my jets, settled in and decided to spend most of my money on videogames instead of toys, but I have fond memories of putting X-Wings, Snow Speeders, and various characters together, which is why I've been totally psyched for Eidos and developer Traveler's Tales' Lego Star Wars The Video Game. For months I've been drooling over press coverage while at the same time crossing my fingers in hopes that it would turn out all right. Well, I just got done with it and let me tell you, this game is better than all right. My friends, this is without question one of the coolest Star Wars games that you'll play, and it doesn't matter whether you're an old fan or a child just getting into George Lucas's epic series. Lego Star Wars is fun for all ages.

Lego Star Wars takes George Lucas's films and characters and converts them into Lego form. You have the option of playing through classic scenes from Episodes I, II, and the upcoming III (complete with plenty of spoilers), and while you'll initially complete these scenes playing as the characters from the respective films, the game also features well over 40 unlockable ones, and for the most part if you complete a scene that introduces them, chances are they'll become available, though that's not always the case. There are various tricks to obtaining some of them, though if worse comes to worse you can use these Lego pieces called Studs to buy them from Dexter Jettster, the alien from Episode II. When you first begin playing, you start out in Dexter's Diner, and this serves as the hub to the rest of the game, but it also allows you to purchase new players, secret items, and obtain some helpful hints.

What I really love about Dexter's Diner is the amount of stuff that's going on at one time. Every character that you've unlocked basically chills here, so it's not uncommon for Mace Windu to bump into Darth Maul or Boba Fett (tiny Boba Fett) to be in the same room as Yoda. It also allows you to swap characters, which is done by pressing Triangle. Just walk up to whomever you want to play as and press the button.

The Episodes themselves are comprised of the most memorable scenes from the films, all of which are superbly directed and laced with a touch of humor. It's not that the developers didn't take the material seriously (quite the contrary), but since this is Lego that we're talking about, there are certain situations that'll arise that, if you follow the movies, will bring a smile to your face.

One of Lego Star Wars' best areas is thankfully its gameplay. All of the characters have special abilities that allow you to solve various puzzles. For example, all of the Jedi (as well as the Sith) have force powers that enable them to manipulate the environment, but droids can open locked doors and Naboo guards can use a grappling device to reach certain areas. Throughout the entire game you'll have from one to several NPCs along for the ride and you can switch who you want to play as on the fly to better make use of them.

The coolest thing about this game is without question its fabulous presentation, but it goes far beyond what we've come to expect from the standard issue Star Wars adventure. Yes, you'll be treated to plenty of familiar music as well as the classic Star Wars-styled intro sequences with the moving text, but it's the graphics and how things react with one another that really places this game off the map.