If you've somehow missed out on the original LEGO Star Wars, then here is your chance to make up for past mistakes. Now, I'm guessing that if you did pass on playing the first game that it was because you thought it was "a dumb kid's game" or because "the game's based on the Star Wars prequels, and those suck." Well, that second excuse won't fly anymore because this sequel is based on the original trilogy. You know, the one that everyone likes.

As for that first excuse, the LEGO Star Wars games are more family games than pure kid's games (and they're hardly "dumb"). Sure, they're simple enough for a kid to pick up and enjoy, and a skilled player can plow through the main story mode in a few hours, but there's a lot more depth below the surface.

For the benefit of those who may not have noticed the multiple recent previews of the game, here's what LEGO Star Wars II is all about. It's based on the popular line of LEGO sets that are based on the popular movies. The game's Story Mode is split up into three parts, each one focusing on one of the original Star Wars films. Within each of these film-based sections, there are six stages.

The first time you play through each stage, the characters that you can control are dependent on the movie's storyline. When on the swamp world of Dagobah, for instance, you can only play as Luke, R2-D2, and Yoda since they were the only characters on that planet in The Empire Strikes Back. After completing each stage, you typically unlock new playable characters, including most of the enemies that you face in the game. Completed stages can then be revisited in Free Mode, which allows you to select whatever character you want to play as, and a party of other characters is automatically chosen to accompany you in the level.


They're Full of Surprises

Having a wide variety of characters in Free Mode is important since there are lots of secrets to discover and many characters have unique skills. Jedi characters like Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi use their lightsabers to deflect incoming laser fire, and the Force allows them to manipulate certain LEGO elements within each stage. Some LEGO bricks can only be controlled by evil Sith lords. Here's where Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine come into play. "Blaster" characters are those armed with laser guns, including Han Solo and Princess Leia. They can not only attack enemies from afar with their lasers, but they're also armed with grappling hooks that allow them to reach high places. Locked doors need droids to open, so keep R2-D2 and C-3PO around. R2 can even use his leg-mounted rockets (which is only used in the prequel trilogy) to cross large pits. Bounty hunters like Boba Fett can toss explosive thermal detonators that are required to destroy certain objects and obstacles. Making proper use of each of the characters' abilities is necessary in order to track down all the hidden goodies in each level.

Your exploration efforts will be rewarded with new gameplay modes, all of which have you competing against the clock (and another player, if you choose). The Character Bonus places you within a maze-like arena inspired by different levels and times you on how quickly you can collect a million LEGO studs (this may sound like a daunting task, but it can typically be done in less than five minutes). If you've played the original LEGO Star Wars, you will remember collecting Minikit Canisters which were used to build model vehicles. In that game, the vehicles could just be admired, but now, they have a purpose. Any vehicle that you construct can be used in the Minikit Bonus levels. They play just like the Character Bonus stages, except you can pilot several different ships. If you ever wanted a game that let you fly around one of Jabba's skiffs or a Star Destroyer, then look no further.