So, finally, we come to it at last. By this time next week, George Lucas' final film foray into the Star Wars legacy hits theatres, completing the tale of Anakin Skywalker's descent into the Dark Side, forcing him to become the infamous Darth Vader and allowing him to crush what's left of the Jedi Council. I've been waiting quite some time for it, and I'm sure LucasArts has as well. After all, they have been prepping the game based on the film for some time, just to have it ready in time for its release. Well, I've played it, and, well, the Force has seen better days.

It's not like the game possesses any bad ideas. Far from it. It's essentially made up of lightsaber sequences, along with the occasional turret shooting sequence, that tells the story from Anakin and Obi-Wan Kenobi working alongside each other to the eventual demise of the good spirit that young Skywalker contains. Along the way, you'll battle a number of foes, including Battle Droids, enemy Jedi, and even a few good guys if you decide to step out towards the forces of evil a bit quicker.

With that, let's talk a bit about the combat system. LucasArts has wisely accustomed you to using some of your force-based powers along with your Jedi skills to become a badass warrior. For instance, if you're not up for a typical duel, you can use a Force power to take care of an enemy, including the likes of electrical bolts that can shoot out of your fingers and fry an opponent quicker than a grilled cheese sandwich on the stove.

The system also has some unique points in terms of how you handle your lightsaber. Both offensive and defensive tactics come into play, allowing you to gain new attributes with each won battle that make you an even stronger Jedi than before. This will come in handy with the game's co-op and multiplayer modes. With co-op, you fight alongside a fellow Jedi and take down numerous enemies. Fun, sure, but multiplayer is where it's at, and you can slowly emerge from several battles with all new skills. Not too shabby.

But, alas, this is really all the game has. It lacks in true diversity and therefore runs out of steam quicker than expected. The lightsaber battles are fun, to be sure, but the movie is obviously made up of more than that. This game should have contained alternate sequences, like being in space for some tremendous, kick-ass battles ala Star Wars Starfighter, but the idea never emerges. Also, how about throwing some sequences where you could rule ass as Chewbacca? Alas, that's skipped, too. This seems more like Episode III: Jedi Power Battles than a full-on movie conversion, really.

It does have some unlockables, including bonus missions to complete and new artwork to access to give you a better idea of character design. It also features great presentation with the familiar film score and sound effects, as well as some slick graphics and smooth animation. However, these departments don't come entirely unscathed. Some of the game's dialogue is laughable (particularly with some of the taunts- they sound a bit too modern-day for a space saga), and there's graphical glitches and level design problems that stick its nose into the fun, like a Jawa that insists on being a pest.

I dunno. I mean, being from the Collective, the game is true to its action roots and does offer somewhat of a good time with its battle system and some unpredictable enemies- like General Grievous. But, being licensed on the whole movie and not just lightsaber fragments, I expected Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith to be so much more. I would've given anything to live one of the havoc-filled flight sequences from the film, or even charging a Wookie army onto the plains for a battle similar to that of Kingdom Under Fire. Sigh...

Bottom line, Star Wars fans will want to give this a rent if only for the game's moment of glory buried beneath the growing monotony. The rest of you might want to stick with one of the Knights of the Old Republic titles to keep their Jedi powers in tow as they feverishly await the arrival of the film. Revenge of the Sith isn't a bad game, it's just limited by too many of its shortcomings. And that doesn't sound like the making of a Sith Lord, does it?