Hands-on time with LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy only confirms what you already knew: If this adorable game does not make you smile, you have no soul. Of course, cute ain't everything, and that's the real reason why our time traipsing through Episodes IV (A New Hope) and V (The Empire Strikes Back ) in a preview version of this Xbox 360 action/adventure was so satisfying. Not only is the game almost huggable (all these warm-fuzzy screens are taken from the Xbox 360 version), it's a simple pleasure to play, too.
A mix of the plotlines of all three "classic trilogy" sci-fi flicks and the brick-building Danish toys, LEGO Star Wars II gives you the chance to blast through the high points of ANH, ESB, and Return of the Jedi (the latter segment wasn't playable at press time), switching between little LEGO versions of Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca and even your own demented mix-and-match created character at will. Each character has their own restrictions - for instance, humans can quickly assemble small vehicles or gun turrets from piles of loose bricks they find in the environment. Heroes like Luke and Leia can also use grappling hooks to reach distant platforms, while Jedi can move objects and enemies around using the Force. Droids can't do any of that stuff, but they can go places that would prove deadly to Organa-based life forms. If Luke can't cross the mucky swamps on Dagobah, for instance, it just takes some poking around as R2-D2 to realize that he can travel underwater, activate a switch on another island and raise a bridge to let the whiny brat pass.
