LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures

LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures is a light-hearted puzzle/platform game. One or two players take control of Indy and a roster of sidekicks as they scour the world for archaeological treasures, perform death-defying stunts and punch the occasional Nazi. This game includes levels based on each of the three classic Indiana Jones films.

The story begins with Raiders of the Lost Ark (even though chronologically, Temple of Doom takes place first), then proceeds through Temple of Doom and The Last Crusade. In the story mode, Indy and another character proceed through the area, solving puzzles, battling enemies and trying to find treasure. Gameplay is a mixture of platforming and puzzle-solving; each character has an ability that allows them to manipulate the level in some way. Indy can swing on his whip, Willie can scream loud enough to shatter glass, Short Round is small enough to fit through tiny openings, Henry Jones Senior can decipher ancient inscriptions and so on. As the level goes on, you'll collect Lego bricks that you can use to unlock extra characters and costumes when you return to Marshall College between missions.

However, the story mode isn't the only way to explore the world of Indiana Jones. Once you've completed a level, you can return to it in Free Play mode, bringing any of the characters you've unlocked along the way. This means that you can unlock new secrets in every level -- for instance, shiny metal objects in early levels are impervious to Indy's attacks. When you return to one of these levels in free play mode, however, you can bring along a German soldier with a rocket launcher and blast them to bits. Collecting the secrets you uncover in this way lets you unlock even more characters.

Coordinating your characters is the key to success in this game; you'll often need to have one of your characters in one part of the screen doing one thing while another does something else elsewhere. In the single-player mode you can switch easily between characters. When you're not controlling the second character, he or she will bumble along behind you, occasionally getting in trouble but never costing you points. In two-player mode, each player controls one character, although it's still possible to switch.

The LEGO adaptation of the game adds a cheerful, humorous tone that's ideal for adults and children alike. Even when you die and burst into a cloud of LEGO pieces, the whole situation is so ridiculous that you can't help but laugh.

Pros

• Fun, inventive puzzle-platform gameplay
• Great couch co-op
• Fantastic John Williams score

Cons

• Awkward camera controls