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Video Game Review: LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures

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By ROMMIE JOHNSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 20, 2008

System: Microsoft Xbox 360

Also available for: Sony PlayStations 2 and 3, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, Windows PC

Publisher: LucasArts

Reviewer's rating: ***

ESRB rating: Everyone 10+

Game type: Adventure

Kind of like: "LEGO Star Wars"

Best feature: Loads of great puzzles.

Worst feature: Annoying computer-controlled partners.

The bottom line: In a way, it's pretty sad that these digital renderings of plastic building blocks do a better job of recapturing the old "Indy" magic than Steven Spielberg's recent celluloid sequel.

But if LEGOs can't inspire nostalgia and stir your inner child, what can?

Here you get to play through the events of the first three flicks, and it's amazing they've managed to preserve the excitement, the sense of adventure and even the humor of the narrative with characters who never speak and whose facial expressions barely change.

Don't let the cute, colorful image fool you. Sure, the game is kid-friendly, but it's also fun and challenging enough to keep any adult engaged. (And probably even frustrate a few.)

Compared to "LEGO Star Wars," there are a lot more puzzles to ponder, and it's no surprise that they're better considering the nature of the booby-trapped temples and tombs Indy typically explores.

Each character (there are more than 60 to unlock) has different abilities - for example, Indy can swing across chasms with his whip, while Short Round can squeeze into tight spots - and you'll have to use them all to solve every puzzle and access every hidden area in the game. Replaying levels with different characters is half the fun.

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