The LEGO Star Wars games have been some of the most popular reiterations of the classic films so far. With many of the games in the Star Wars franchise covering the more serious and moral implications of the story, like the tightrope between dark and light walked by Anakin Skywalker on his journey to become the most powerful Master to wield the Force. The success of the critically acclaimed Knights of the Old Republic shows the lasting appeal of the Saga years after the story began, back in the good old days when there was no Jar Jar Binks.

LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga introduces you to the more light-hearted side of the Force. Imagine the whole story broken down into bite-sized chunks and then peppered with some modern day slapstick humour. Oh yes, and the whole game world and everything in it is made of LEGO! Seem familiar? That's because it is! However, the whole story is here in one superbly polished package for the first time, with a few new features to boot. However, it should be noted that this is simply a re-imagining of the two original games - LEGO Star Wars and LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy. The level designs from the original LEGO Star Wars have been modified slightly to align the gameplay style more with the sequel, but ultimately this is a repackaged bumper edition with a few new features thrown in as a treat! As such it's the definitive version of the series to own and of course the original was only available on Xbox, so being able to play through it again on 360 is a big bonus.

Fans of the LEGO Star Wars games will love The Complete Saga. Content truly is king here, with all six episodes featured. Each episode has six chapters, which compress the story into entertaining and varied chunks of gameplay. The mechanic is the same as before, with different character classes having different abilities. As the game progresses you're frequently tasked with puzzles and problems that require you to combine these different skills in order to continue through the story. As you play through you unlock the key characters for use in other game modes, such as replaying the levels and using their differing abilities to find an alternate path through these sometimes surprisingly taxing sections. For example, C3-P0 cannot jump or hover, so to get him over a gap to a door that he must unlock you need to create an alternate route. Often this will be resolved by using a character with Force manipulation, such as Obi-Wan Kenobi to break down a LEGO object and rebuild it as a bridge. Often LEGO kits must be used for this kind of path finding puzzle, as well as just to reach high areas to find collectible kit pieces or extra Studs.

There are plenty of characters to choose from once unlocked too, with different variations from each scene of the famous movies. Rebel Han Solo from Return of the Jedi is there, as well as Stormtrooper Han Solo from A New Hope. This goes for many of the characters, with even minor costume changes being accounted for, such as Lando Calrission's bounty hunter disguise. The class system is basically broken down into four character types. There's the Jedi of course, with Force powers and lightsabers, the Humans, with pistols and grappling hooks, the Droids, whose abilities vary the most, from the relatively useless C3-P0 who can only slowly walk and open doors, to his miniature companion R2-D2, who can hover for a short time, has a small shock weapon and can open numerous doors. Lastly there's the small class, reserved for child characters such as young Anakin, as well as the Ewoks. They have the added ability of being able to enter crawlspaces to unlock doors and flick switches in otherwise unreachable locations.

Success through the game requires you to use each of the different characters' abilities in cooperation, whether it be saving Leia from Jabba the Hutt and dropping Boba Fett into the Saarlak pit or making your way through the swamplands of Naboo (where you'll find one of the few exceptions to the class system in the high jumping Jar Jar Binks). The action is faithful to the classic scenes throughout. The opposition you'll face is straight from George Lucas' scrapbook too, with Stormtroopers assaulting you at every turn in the Death Star as you rush to save Leia (she really needs to try and stay out of trouble!) You'll even have to face the mighty AT-AT walkers of The Empire Strikes Back as you take control of Rebel Luke, even having to tie their legs with a tow-rope just like in the film! The only slightly unrecognisable characters are at the very end of the story whilst facing the Emperor. He seems to have some elite guard style Stormtroopers with staff weapons that look more like cohorts of the General Grievious era to me, but still, I suppose a little creative license is okay!

There's plenty of incentive to replay the whole game numerous times too, as the amount of unlockable extras on offer is simply staggering. With various LEGO pieces, secret kits to be built, characters to be unlocked and plenty of LEGO Studs (the in-game currency) to be found, which can then be used to buy even more extras! Completing the Saga in one play through will only give you around 35% completion, with many of the characters on offer only in Bonus modes that are unlocked as each episode is cleared. It's hard to describe just how much content there is, but pleasing to see that the developers had the good sense to add achievements that reward players who obsessively hunt every extra on offer.

The presentation is immaculate throughout, with the LEGO characters and scenery looking fantastic. Despite the game being clearly aimed at a new, younger generation of Star Wars fans with its brightly coloured design, there is an incredible amount of appeal to be had for older gamers too. The animations and cut scenes look great and offer some of the hilarious moments that will appeal to anyone with a pulse. There is no speech at all, given that even the sharp-tongued Han Solo's mouth is made of plastic. Despite the lack of any real voice work however, the story maintains a robust narrative throughout, relying on visual comedy and the characters' well-drawn expressions to tell the tale. The recognisable surroundings of the movies are made all the more convincing by the use of the original music from each of the films. Even in the level selection area, which most fans will recognise as Mos Eisley's Cantina, the background music is performed by the same band that featured in the original blockbuster all those years ago. These little touches really add to the authenticity of the whole experience and make the move from the newer films to the classic trilogy excellently.

One of the biggest additions to The Complete Saga is the ability to play co-operatively through Xbox Live, something the series has lacked so far. Although bringing a friend into the game doesn't significantly increase the difficulty, which isn't that high to begin with, it does add something to the experience and the most important factor in an online game is here in abundance - fun! To add to your personal amusement, you can also customise your characters with various different body parts and accessories that can be bought in the Cantina shop, which can lead to some incredibly amusing character models! There's also a Versus mode where you can battle it out with your favourite characters in one of many recognisable arenas, including the amphitheatre style Senate chambers where Yoda fought the Emperor in the most recent movie release. The entertainment gleaned from this is short-lived however, as the fighting mechanics are basic to say the least. This mode unfortunately highlights one of the game's few shortcomings; as a complete package the combat works well and does just enough to fulfil the Jedi in everyone. On its own however the fighting lacks depth, with the lack of any real combo system in place becoming immediately evident. Each of the major roles have their own unique moves based on their fighting style in the films though, and Yoda is particularly amusing to watch, despite being devastating in battle.

LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga is a great game for Star Wars fans of all ages. Don't expect complex gameplay or much in the way of new gameplay features, but the formula works brilliantly and provides plenty of fun, whether you're revisiting the games or discovering them for the first time. The addition of Live co-op play is a huge bonus and the amount of collectibles with have the scavenger in you deeply satisfied for some time to come. The only drawback here is the fact that it has all been done already, but you are getting two great games for the price of one, making for great value. The amount of replay potential in this latest instalment is huge too, almost making up for the fact that we've seen it all before. For the first time we're presented with the option to play as Ewan Macgregor's Obi-Wan whilst having player two take up the role of a sidekick such as Darth Maul too! If you're new to the LEGO Star Wars games then you couldn't pick a better title to start with, as the this is the definitive version and likely the last Star Wars iteration for now. Next up from the creative minds behind this wonderful series is LEGO Batman. Now, where did I leave that utility belt?

Reviewed by Ian O'Neill for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).