Love it or loathe it, you have to concede that Star Wars is a phenomenon, one that has had a massive impact on the movie, toys and gaming industry and redefined what it means to milk merchandising for all it's worth. All the way back in 1977 (I defy anyone to watch the original Star Wars and not be impressed by the groundbreaking use of special effects and sets) when the first movie came out, George Lucas couldn't have imagined in his wildest dreams that one day his vision would become its own all-encompassing Empire - even the Jedi Council couldn't have seen that one coming. With the prequel trilogy now wrapped up, the inevitable game of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith is here. Times have changed with movie tie-in games now excelling themselves more and more, so expectations are high. And like Yoda in a light saber battle, it does not disappoint.

Set a few years after Episode II, the Clone Wars between the Republic and the Separatists have been dragging on for a while and the story begins as the Separatists escalate things. The droid leader General Grievous has assaulted Coruscant, home to the Jedi Council and the Senate, kidnapping Senator Palpatine. Our heroes Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi set out on a daring mission to rescue Palpatine before Grievous can escape, little knowing that this is all just one small cog in a nefarious mechanism for a certain Sith Lord to seize power and take over the whole galaxy. I'm not going to go into any more detail as to the story of the game, as it follows the film's plot faithfully to its dramatic conclusion. Suffice to say it's more than enough to hold the game together and the addition of plenty of cut scenes from the film, which switch flawlessly into the game's graphics engine, further serves to enhance the atmosphere and immerse you into the Star Wars universe we all know and love (I'm assuming you're a fan from hereon in!)

The game design throughout Episode III are more than a little reminiscent of the Lord of the Rings games, which is no bad thing because they were brilliant. Thrown straight into the deep end, the first mission takes you right into the action without being too challenging, at least for a little while. The graphics are very well realised, with scenery that reproduces all the key locations from the film down to the smallest detail and particularly lovely animation on the characters. Your journey through the game takes you to several different worlds and the scenery for each is varied and distinctive. There are times perhaps when you linger in samey looking locations for too long but you know that something new is just around the corner, so it's not a problem. Beginning as Anakin and backed-up by Obi-Wan and loveable tin can R2-D2, you're assaulted by waves of droids as you make your way through Grievous's flagship in a desperate race to get to Palpatine.

Immediately you'll be very impressed with the fluid motion of the characters as they run, flip, dodge and jump around the levels, light sabers flashing and whirring like mad, slicing through droids and scattering their body parts all over the place. There are a surprising number of combination attacks to learn, most of which are intuitively simple to pull off and you'll be dicing up the opposition like a Jedi Master in no time. Using a combination of regular and heavy attacks, every combo move looks impressive as our heroes whirl around, slashing at enemies in front and behind. The jump attacks look particularly nice too and there are grapple, dash and critical attacks to master. You can also thrust your saber into the enemies, a move that's deliberately slow to execute but very powerful when used correctly.

The next thing to factor in is the force powers, which are beautifully implemented, easy to activate and throw an extra dimension into the proceedings that gives this more variety than the close and ranged combat featured in Lord of the Rings. You can force push enemies into walls or lift objects (including explosive barrels) and lob them at the enemy. You can throw your light saber like a boomerang, force stun enemies, compel organic enemies to fight on your side and even whiz the light saber around rapidly to use as a shield that deflects incoming blaster fire back at its source. As well as this you can use your force power to heal yourself and execute super fast dashes, plus do massive force jumps or interact with the scenery at key locations (denoted by a handy glowing patch, Lord of the Rings style). Both your combat and force skills can be assigned the experience points you gain in each level to upgrade them, unlocking new combat moves and improving the range and power of force skills.

The combat rankings are again taken straight from Lord of the Rings, in that attacks are marked as fair while a power meter gradually grows. The meter empties slowly after you've not attacked any enemies for ten seconds or so and it loses power whenever you take a hit, but once you get it into the next section you get ranked as good, then impressive, then finally masterful, where you go into a super power mode that's time limited but during that time you're virtually invincible and can slice up any enemy with ease. At first it's really tough to get anything other than fair, but once you learn how to effectively block and dodge (something that is perhaps a little slow to respond but easy enough to get the hang of) you'll build up real momentum and get into the good and impressive range regularly. Indeed, Mission 8 was the first one I completed gaining maximum experience points and very satisfied I was too.

You face a range of enemies, which are mostly droids at first but the nature of your enemy changes as the story develops (again, I don't want to spoil anything for those of you yet to see the film). There's a reasonable range of droids, beginning with the standard battle droids that you'll slice and dice with ease, tougher droids that take a pounding, grappling droids, flying droids, annoying little bug droids and the occasional huge spider droid. In the first couple of levels you're playing with a computer-controlled companion but after that you're on your own (so no more worrying about the computer stealing your kills!) Anakin and Obi-Wan are the two playable characters in the main game but many of the other characters, both good and bad, can be played as in the bonus missions, of which there are a good number. These are surprisingly tough survival affairs where you face an onslaught of enemies in a confined space and must battle it out to the end without dying - something that is a lot easier said than done.

Every so often there are boss battles to face and these are more epic and exciting than any I've come across in a long time. Your first is against ex-Jedi Count Dooku and he's a real challenge to beat. When you come up against General Grievous it's almost like a Dead or Alive scale battle, taking place in multiple locations and against a foe that has almost as many combos and special attacks as you do. The AI in these sections is to be commended, as you feel like you are up against intelligent and skilful opponents.

While the graphics are very nice, if perhaps a little repetitive in places, it is the audio that steals the show in this game - the whir of engines, the groans of droids the whiz and slash of the light saber, the familiar zap of the blasters. We all know what to expect and every effect is flawlessly reproduced from the film. As to the soundtrack, well it's the rousing, orchestral music from the film too and John Williams doesn't disappoint, providing a number of exciting and memorable themes that complete the atmosphere and enhance the action no end. The voice acting is also very good and the fact that I couldn't quite tell if the voices of Anakin and Obi-Wan were soundalikes or the real thing just goes to show how authentic it all sounds. I find Hayden Christensen (Anakin) to be as wooden as a plank as far as acting goes, and this goes for the game too - at least it's consistent!

When it comes to the multiplayer, what's here is good although it feels like something of a missed opportunity. The co-operative mode features only four levels set in relatively small levels. It lacks challenge and you don't get to choose which characters you use. It would have been far more enjoyable to be able to play through the whole single player game with a friend, picking your character and ignoring plot continuity as (for example) Yoda and Mace Windu team up to retake Utapau from General Grievous. Sadly that's not possible and it's a crying shame.

The versus mode is actually very enjoyable, almost like a mini beat 'em up game. There is a range of characters to choose from (once you've unlocked them), each with a number of powers. Jedi characters have similar power sets but those like Grievous have plenty of other special moves and attacks to compensate for not having the force. It really is a lot of fun going one on one against either the computer or a friend and a mode that definitely adds longevity to the game. But where's the online gaming? Where are the eight player melee battles, team slayer or other modes that this game engine is just perfect for? I have no idea, but there's less trace of them than of Obi-Wan's body after his timely demise at the hands of Darth Vader. Again, this feels like a huge missed opportunity and while what's here is very good, it could have been so much better.

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith is an entertaining action adventure. Fans of the films will love it and those who enjoy games like Lord of the Rings will feel the force. Smooth animation, a fantastic soundtrack and plenty of variety in the use of combat and force powers make this a game that's engaging and fun to play through. The addition of secrets to find and an experience limit to reach on every level ups the lifespan a little, as does the inclusion of bonus missions and a great versus mode where you and friend can go head to head, recreating classic battles from the movie. The lack of online play or a full co-operative mode is lamentable but it's not enough to stop this being a credit to the movie and a worthwhile conversion. Enjoy this you will, play it you should.

Reviewed by Geoff Holland for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).