Three years ago, when the original LEGO Star Wars was released, nobody imagined it would become a sensation among kids of all ages. How else can you explain why George Lucas didn't release the game through LucasArts, but instead let it come out via Eidos, which had the LEGO license?

Obviously, George is a guy who learns from his mistakes, since after the success, both creative and commercial, of LEGO Star Wars, it would be LucasArts that not only issued the sequels, but commissioned this game, which gives a similar treatment to Lucas' other great franchise, Indiana Jones.

Not surprisingly, little has changed in the series' basic gameplay in its transition from sci-fi to serial-inspired adventure. As in LSW, Lego Indiana Jones uses plastic interlocking blocks and slapstick humor to retell the movie's epic stories in a hysterically adorable way. Running through familiar scenes from the films, you run, jump, and assemble piles of loose LEGOs to form ladders and other instruments of passage, all of which has to be done while you take on tons of bad guys who, when vanquished, collapse into the individual LEGO blocks used to make them.

Even with such basic similarities, though, there are a number of differences between this and past LEGO games, though most seem more dictated by the subject matter than by an inclination to evolve the form. While you used to have to stand next to the other playable characters to switch control to them, you can now do it regardless of their location. There are now blocks buried in the ground, and if your character has a shovel, which Indy doesn't, you can dig them out. Yes, this means you do have to play as someone other than Dr. Jones sometimes, since some buried treasures are needed to proceed. Also, since Indy doesn't have a jetpack or little jets in his legs the way some Star Wars characters do, he uses his whip or hanging vines to swing around, which is as much fun as you remembering it being when you last played Pitfall.

Befitting the films, there are more environmental hazards to contend with than in LSW, including statues that shoot darts and spikes that shoot up from the ground. And snakes. Why did it have to be snakes? In fact, in some levels -- like the first one from "Raiders," for example -- you're more likely to be killed by a trap than by any bad guy, a welcome change from the heavily populated LSW. The game also adds the ability to pick up and use items such as chairs or the aforementioned ground-mounted spears, though it's often just easier to smack someone than it is to grab something and use it against them.

Visually, the graphics have also been upgraded, albeit more in the backgrounds than the characters. It doesn't do anything for the gameplay, but it does make the juxtaposition of plastic people in real world environments look a lot funnier.

The game is not without its problems, though, even if most are of the nitpicky variety. There's no online co-op, which is odd given that there was in last year's Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga. I also wish the Achievements were a little more valuable, but then I always get annoyed when I finish a game and my Gamerscore hasn't gone up much.

The game also still does this thing where, when you die or break something, it sends colored studs all over the place. This wouldn't be a problem if they all landed relatively close together, but they instead fly every which way, making it impossible to catch 'em all. It adds a bit of challenge, I suppose, but if I wanted to spend half my life running around like an idiot, I'd do drugs.

LEGO Indiana Jones also has some cinematic inaccuracies that might annoy purists. While no one begrudges the developers for cutting out some of the grosser aspects of "The Temple of Doom," or for not including an adorable plastic Hitler, I'm not sure why they also cut any references to the Nazis in "Raiders" and "Crusade," replacing them with, well, Nazi-looking guys in grey shirts.

Then there's the issue of character. While there are dozens from the films, all playable, who else would you really want to play as other than Indy? Sure, Marion had a good right hook, but Short Round was crap in a fight and Marcus was a clumsy intellectual, not a brawler. Not surprisingly, some of the characters are a bit more macho here than they were in the movies -- that whiner Willie has somehow become as spunky as Marion (when she's not screaming) -- but you'll still find yourself playing as Indy whenever you can.



Then there's the issue of just how juvenile this can be -- which is very. Despite the fact that no self-respecting parent would ever let their kid watch "The Temple of Doom," this game is decidedly earmarked for the very young. While older fans of the films (present company included) will find the whole thing adorable -- and the cut scenes hysterical -- there isn't much in the way of challenge here for veteran joystick jockeys. None of the bad guys are especially threatening, and none of the puzzles are especially tough.



Ultimately, LEGO Indiana Jones is no contender for Game of the Year (though it could be in the running for Best Movie-Inspired Game of the Year, Funniest Game of the Year and Best Use of a Whip in a Non-B.D.S.M. Game). It doesn't push the action genre, or videogames as a whole, in any new or interesting directions, but it is tons of fun. In fact, it's kind of like these movies I saw when I was younger, about this guy, he wore a hat, and went around looking for ancient artifacts?

This review was based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.