This review was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content.

Lego Star Wars for the GameCube, despite releasing six months after its sister versions for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, is the same fun adventure you’ve experienced before. It’s got the primary characters for all of the first three episodes; it’s got gorgeous, realistic environments that Star Wars is known for; and it’s got a plethora of little tricks, force powers, extras, and secrets, and thanks to the GC version, it’s now got them – intact – on the market’s most family-friendly console. If this seems like a recipe for success, it is.

Lego Star Wars comes complete with the saga’s first three episodes, a bonus “episode”, and a ton of goodies to collect, including character biographies, tips, and gameplay extras (super large blasters, moustaches, invincibility, and about a dozen more). The game begins by casting players as Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi (you can “tag” characters to determine whom you’d rather control) and sets them in Dexter’s Diner, the HQ of Lego Star Wars. Characters you unlock as you proceed throughout all the episodes will appear in the Diner and you’ll then be able to use them in free mode, but as you first begin, you’re stuck in story mode with only one episode and one level available: Episode I, level one. Each episode has at least five levels, and each level can only be unlocked by playing through its proceeding one. The fact that Traveller’s Tales connected all the episodes to the Diner and then encouraged players to experiment with the surroundings is more than cute, as it quickly gets the game’s main point across: to proceed in this version of the Star Wars universe, you’ll have to use the force – a lot. Each item in the Diner is surrounded by a green aura as players position Qui-Gon in front of it; the green symbolizes that the item is “force-ready”, which means that players can use the force to float the item and shake it until coins – currency used for purchasing extras – pop out. After you’re done exploding soda cups and attacking Obi-Wan, it’s time to head through the first door and begin your Star Wars adventure.

Each level in Lego Star Wars is gorgeous, intricately detailed, and very befitting of the Star Wars universe. As each episode only sports five-six levels, each level is chosen for portraying some sort of important, action-packed event, so you’ll run through swamps (stopping only to marvel at your reflection in small pools), fly through space (while admiring all the bright explosions and swarming enemy vehicles), and fight through hordes of enemy droids to approach Darth Maul, Count Dooku, or even Darth Vader, and all in style. Though the environments are realistic, they’re full of lego objects and parts just waiting to be assembled by someone strong in the force, and a lot of these objects can be adjusted to enable players to reach secret locations and obtain extra goodies; in this regard, level layouts cleverly accommodate these bonuses without paying for it in loss of realism, as areas feature scorching hot lava pools, gentle patches of smoke, and beautiful overhead skies.

When it comes to featuring the characters of the Star Wars saga and then actually making use of them, Lego Star Wars takes full advantage. From Anakin and Amidala to Padme and the most meaningless trooper, every character receives a quaint lego redesign and a special power. Jedi use the force, characters with blasters can climb, droids open locked doors, and even Jar Jar has a unique super-jump ability; all of these powers are used to navigate throughout the game’s many small puzzles. Each character controls smoothly, moves fluidly, has a subtle fighting stance, and feels right at home on the GameCube. Each character is of course made of lego blocks and sports a non-lego weapon (blaster or lightsaber) and a detailed (if stereotypical) head. Darth Maul’s got the red painted face; Yoda’s present with a wrinkly, green head; and even R2-D2 rolls around with lego feet and a spinning top. Character design is adorable, and you’ll enjoy characters’ quirky motions and simplistic facial expressions as well as their little screams as their lego body parts are severed.

Perhaps to break up the monotony of using the force to build bridges, slicing droids into pieces, and scouring the environment for coins, Traveller’s Tales included a few shooting/racing environs. These sections are more difficult than the average level and are a little repetitive as every time you make a mistake, you start back from the last check point (and you’ll be making a lot of mistakes as you adjust to the different level style), but they’re fun and more fast-paced. Players can compete in the pod-race or soar through the skies while shooting down enemy ships, and although there are only three levels of this action, they’re welcome variety.

As we’re essentially living in a sea of one-player epics, it’s nice to see Traveller’s Tales offering players a two-player option that both children and adults can easily take to. To activate two-player “mode”, simply insert a second controller and hit the start button. The manual even includes a list of basic tips for adults who have never played (modern) videogames before along with encouragement to take part in a child’s playtime, and considering that the Star Wars franchise is loved by both the young and the old, Lego Star Wars is the perfect product to do so and very family-friendly.

The audio elements sound very Star Wars authentic. There’s the steady hum of the drawn lightsaber; the pitter-patter of lego feet on land or wading through small pools of water; the great, ever-present Star Wars soundtrack and boss battle theme music; the clink of money as it hits the floor; and the shake, rattle sound as items are jiggled to produce coins.

There’s very little that Lego Star Wars does wrong, but its biggest fault is the lack of a manual targeting system. Though the targeting is automatic, a manual system would have been of great help during certain segments (like the Darth Maul fight, where you have to reflect blaster beams back at droids but can’t control the direction). The camera can also be a pain as you can’t control it at all, though the times when you really need to are rare.

As you’ve heard before, this game is a fairly quick ride, and while it’s enjoyable and cute there’s no substance and thus, even with the ability to replay all the levels in story/free mode, once you’ve gone through the episodes you’re probably done.

Some people may bemoan the fact that they have to play all the episodes in order during story mode to unlock everything in free mode, or that some of the more dramatic scenes (which would have been expressed comically in lego-form) are absent, but these aren’t devastating losses.

In two-player mode, it’s been discovered that you can accidentally attacking your teammate. In one-player, your teammate is practically useless, except in rare circumstances when s/he’s needed to stand on a button, so I assume this balances out.

And finally, there’s no voiceacting, but this is a little quirk that doesn’t detract from the game at all.

Lego Star Wars is a fun, adventurous one or two-player game for the whole family, and it features all the recent Star Wars lore and more active scenes for those who just love a good, old fashioned Star Wars fight. It’s a quick trip, though, and the game is quite easy to play, even with the few difficult puzzles and racing/shooting sequences. If you have any appreciation of Star Wars at all, Lego Star Wars deserves a look.

Fun and imaginative, though short and overly simplistic. Good two-player option.

Lovely environments and nice special effects, but nothing too high caliber. Cute characters.

The superb Star Wars soundtrack, but no voicework. Solid ambient noises, though.

You’ll enjoy it, but you’ll enjoy it more with a friend.

Some of you are going to love finding all the extra secrets in each level.