While the first game focused on the prequel movies, this time around the original trilogy gets bricked. Each movie is LEGOized in turn, telling the abbreviated, wordless tale of the rise and fall of the Galactic Empire. Players control one of dozens of LEGO's "mini fig" characters who blast, slash and build their way through the various chapters of the original trilogy. At first, players can use only those characters who first appeared in a particular section of the trilogy, but as each chapter is completed players unlock new characters. They can then return to the chapter in "free play mode," using any characters they like, including ones they build themselves.

All of the levels are populated with brick buildings and terrain that are easily destroyed by rampaging players, but there are also LEGO kits scattered about that the mini figs use to build tools they need, such as grappling hooks, computer interfaces and ... lawnmowers. Yes, the game's signature humor—a mix of slapstick, in-jokes and general wackiness—returns in this game, providing comic relief without ever uttering a word of dialogue. The game's internal economy remains driven by the collection of silver, gold and blue studs. Anything destroyed in the game spawns clouds of these studs, and certain areas shower players in the plastic coins when unlocked. Coins are then used to buy new mini figs, special abilities and hints.

The game supports several multiplayer options—in both story and freeplay modes, a second player can jump in at any time and start blasting. There are also competitive minigames, such as one where players compete to collect a million studs in the least amount of time. There is no online play available, but the Xbox 360 version has unlockable achievements that are posted to players' Xbox Live gamer cards.

A lighthearted Star Wars universe

LEGO Star Wars II is an enthusiastic, arcade-style game that's just the sort of lighthearted fare that can restore fans' faith in the Star Wars series. Stripped of its iconic references, the game is fundamentally a platformer, with all of the jumping, switching, levers and button mashing that implies. It's enjoyable, but what really makes it stand out is the peanut-butter-and-chocolate style mixing of LEGOS with Star Wars, creating something that can seem downright bizarre but works on multiple levels.

Take the humor: LEGO Star Wars doesn't take itself or its namesake too seriously and happily tweaks the events of the movies when it suits its purposes. As a result, Luke accidentally cuts off C-3PO's head while trying out his father's lightsaber in A New Hope, and players build LEGO speakers that play a rock version of the "Imperial March" to distract Gamorrean guards in Jabba's palace.

Everything in the game unfolds based on a certain LEGO-style logic, which means characters are as likely to get around obstacles by building some block creation as they are to use lightsabers to obliterate their targets. Furthermore, gamers can play havoc with the movie's continuity in ways George Lucas never dreamed of by creating their own mashed-up characters, such as a Bith-headed Dark Jedi rampaging through the Cloud City.

The game looks great and plays smoothly, perfectly capturing the plastic world of LEGOs—it feels as if the toys come alive, and the models are even identical to those found in a toy store. The game is satisfying for casual and power gamers—the story mode can be finished with a week's worth of gameplay, but completeists can spend hour after hour trying to unlock every last mini fig, bonus level and hidden extra.

As fun as the game can be, it's not perfect. Although it has co-op and multiplayer modes, there's no Internet play, which is a shame—this would be a great game to play online with distant friends. The save-game scheme holds too close to its arcade roots, allowing players to save only when they reach the end of a chapter. This is a game that cries out for spontaneous play, but the lack of a fast save setup makes that impossible. While the mini-fig-based levels are consistently enjoyable, their attempts to incorporate arcade-style vehicle combat—with tiny snowspeeders battling AT-ATs and the Falcon taking on star destroyers—end up feeling like retreads of Zaxxon more often than not.

These aren't minor quibbles, but the rest of the game more than makes up for them. Like Knights of the Old Republic, it's the sort of game that makes players remember what was so great about Star Wars in the first place.