Let the Lego Force be with you…not that you need it but it’s fun to say and this game is definitely fun to play. It’s no doubt that everyone reading this review has seen, read, or at the very least heard about Star Wars. It’s hard not to when it’s EVERYWHERE you look. So it wasn’t and isn’t a surprise that there’s not only a Video Game out there about it but a Lego game!

Lego Star Wars II takes what Lego Star Wars: the Video Game did and made it better. The scenes, the sound effects, the musical score, the graphics, and the material used are all better than the first go around. AND it’s a fun game that you can play with the family without worrying about the language, the content, or any adult situations.

Like the title suggests, you’ll be making your way through the first three chapters of the Star Wars saga by taking control of several of familiar characters and vehicles. You’ll easily recognize planets, space scenes, and tools of the trade. Space fights, speeder bike races, getting the chance to play as Wicket and Darth Vader all add to the appeal of this sequel.

The mechanics of the game are elementary with a button to jump, attack, special moves (different for different characters), and switch between characters/get into vehicles. Since the game is so easy to control, it’s a great time to be played across the generations. My son and I had a lot of fun getting through the game even though he’s only seen snippets of the Star Wars movies here and there, he has yet to see a whole movie but he understands the controls and he understands the storyline. He also has a lot of fun playing with his grandfather, who is 69 years old.

The graphics in the game are decent. There are very few things in the game that you’ll look at and say, “what is that supposed to be?” There are some glitches where characters get stuck, where it looks like there should be something for your character to stand on but isn’t, but that’s about all. Legos are Legos and they look like them on the screen.

The sound effects and the musical score are all over the place in this game. You’ll recognize the musical score as it plays throughout the game. Just about everything has a sound effect so why not turn the volume up and let yourself get immersed in the game? The cutscenes between chapters are amusing and fun to watch.

One of the great aspects of this game is the fact that you can play on your own or you can play with a friend. But not only that, if you’re playing multi-player and you get stuck in an area where the skill level of both players aren’t on the same level, just simply have one player “drop out” for that segment and join back in once you’re past the area of frustration. My father and I have done this a couple of times while playing with my son because jumps are too hard to do or a puzzle is a little bit too frustrating for him to complete.

This is one game that I truly enjoyed playing with my son. The humor is elementary enough for him to understand, the violence is never over the top, and the controls so easy to master. In a day and age where game developers are cranking out M rated games, it’s nice to be able to pull out a game that the whole family can enjoy. It was so enjoyable that we started on Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga.