When it comes to videogaming, Star Wars fans have had a pretty nice run for a while now. There hasn't really been a whole lot of groundbreaking stuff associated with Star Wars videogames, but there has been a lot of general all round good quality that did enough to extended the series beyond the theatre screen and into the interactive world. While gamers still eagerly await LucasArts' next-gen Star Wars effort, another developer has been taking on the name for the 'next-gen' consoles, but in a far less serious way. I of course refer to Traveller's Tales and their LEGO Star Wars series, which is back again in LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga, and copious amounts of fun ensues.

For those that have played LEGO Star Wars before, not a whole lot of surprises will be found in how The Complete Saga is setup. What we see this time around is basically the same tried and tested gameplay but rather than focus on a few episodes from the Star Wars storyline, this version focuses on every episode from The Phantom Menace to Return of the Jedi giving you the complete experience all inside the LEGO universe. This alone makes for the best version of the series because everything previously on offer and more is here.

Obviously the best way to play the game is to start from Episode 1 Chapter 1 all the way through to Episode 6 Chapter 6 but you don't have to - Episodes can be played in any order you wish although Chapters inside each Episode naturally have to be done in order the first time you do them so the storyline makes sense. Speaking of which, the storyline of the Star Wars universe is played out nicely in this game with absolutely no dialogue whatsoever - all you have are a bunch of LEGO figures that look like Star Wars characters using visuals such as facial and body expressions to tell the story and it surprisingly works well despite also being very compact and brief. It would definitely help being a fan of the franchise but even someone like me who isn't so big on Star Wars found the storyline not only easy to follow but also quite humorous without a single word being uttered.

Once you do happen to finish a Chapter/level, from then on you can reload it for 'Free Play' which allows you to take any unlocked character of your choice and redo the level again. Almost every level in this game will feature sections that can only be accessible by certain characters so you can only rarely truly finish a Chapter the first time you play it, which includes finding various objects and LEGO pieces to build level specific structures, as well as collect in-game currency which is scattered around or earned by using and destroying objects. The game achieves all this by utilizing some of its gameplay mechanics to create puzzles and no one character in this game can do everything - for instance, a Jedi character with a Light Saber can use the force to move objects around to create stairways etc but only non-Jedi characters with guns can access areas that require the use of a grappling hook. Sometimes you'll just see areas behind locked doors that can only be accessed by a particular character type as well, such as a Bounty Hunter.

While there is a fair amount of action on offer in this game definitely best seen as a Jedi character as you fling your Light Saber around chopping through baddies and objects and deflecting laser beams back to into the face of storm troopers, a fair amount of the gameplay is actually more puzzle than action that usually relies on specific character strengths and abilities. These are reasonably easy to begin with but as you get further into the game they can get a little bit more complex requiring some actual problem solving. Make no mistake though, this game is not built for hardcore gamers, it is definitely a family friendly game that is designed for the younger audience while still being playable by the older audience to get everyone involved.

As such, not every gamer will find enjoyment in LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga. At its core the game is really quite a repetitive and simply action/puzzle title that won't be very hard to finish - in fact, you simply can't die in this game at all. Like in the original Sonic titles with the 'rings', upon death (which happens after being hit 4 times in a row), your character will spill out some of the coins you have collected but unlike Sonic, you don't get game over when you die with 0 coins left, so while you are usually given 4 lives at a time, you may as well be given 4 million because you will never have to reload in this game due to defeat. The whole point of this game though is to try and finish levels with as much coin as you can while completing puzzles so you can purchase more characters, unlockables, abilities etc from the game's interactive menu, so in a way the gameplay itself is not the primary focus. To enjoy this game, you'll definitely need to leave your hardcore gaming persona at the door and assume a more casual role.

At any one time you will have at least two characters you can switch between in this game so it is no surprise to see the gameplay is very well suited for 2 player action, which definitely enhances the fun and appeal on offer. The first two versions in the LEGO Star Wars series were also built for 2 player action but with one major shortcoming - there was no online Xbox Live capability in either. This has changed for The Complete Saga as Live play is now fully supported and fully integrated into the game's 'drop-in drop-out' style of multi-play, which allows gamers to seamlessly join and leave a game either on the same console or online without interfering with the other person's game at all if they want to leave early. It is safe to say the co-op Live mode finally being introduced to this series is a rather large selling point in itself even without the fact this game covers every episode.

Being on the 360 one should naturally expect nice visuals and while the game is definitely not one of the better looking 360 titles out there in a technical sense, you have to keep in mind that this game is trying to portray an actual real life theme - that being LEGO - and it really does a great job of it too. The entire virtual world looks like it was painstakingly built LEGO piece by LEGO piece and the animations are all very nicely done never leaving the movement possibilities of their real world LEGO representations. The special effects are also fairly well done but visual wise the attraction to this game is definitely its devotion to the LEGO theme.

If you haven't played this series yet, The Complete Saga is the perfect title to get you up to speed as it definitely lives up to its name as a complete look at the entire Star Wars story, all played out in a nicely made LEGO world that doesn't take itself too seriously. While the storyline and gameplay won't be overly new to those who have already played the series, the introduction of co-op play over Live will definitely attract some of the series veterans as it is a very welcome feature. If you enjoyed the first two or haven't played the series yet, The Complete Saga is definitely a worthy addition or introduction to the series either way, but remember this is definitely not the type of action/puzzler that will appeal to everyone - it's for the young, and the young at heart.