LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures [PSP]

Once you complete a stage in the Story mode, you can revisit it in Free mode. Here, you aren't limited to controlling the characters that the story dictates -- you're free to choose any unlocked character to bring into the stage with you. This lets you use characters' special abilities to access areas and discover secrets that you couldn't get to while playing through the first time. Sometimes, however, you'll be able to gain the skills of other character classes by picking up and using tools scattered throughout the stages, a feature that wasn't in the LEGO Star Wars titles. Indy may not normally be able to fix broken vehicles, but if you can find a wrench, he can take care of it.

Likewise, you can also pick up weapons. Considering that Indy primarily fights with his fists, the added range that comes with collected weapons is important. In fact, the combat is pretty disappointing this time out. Usually you're forced to use your fists against enemies with weapons, meaning that you end up taking quite a bit of damage before getting within striking range. In the LEGO Star Wars titles, lightsabers allowed you to repel enemy fire and perform devastating jumping attacks. Blasters let you shoot lasers at your foes. Here, you're mostly stuck using your fists, which makes the fighting feel like a large step backwards.

Between stages, you're treated to series of pantomimed cinema sequences that help advance the plot. More often than not, these scenes are played for laughs, and Indy fans will get more than a few chuckles out of the comedic twists that they provide (wait until you see the fake golden idol that Indy tries to hand over to Belloq after his escape from the rolling boulder in "Raiders").

They're Waggling in the Wrong Place!

The game takes advantage of the Wii Remote's motion-sensing abilities for some of the characters' unique skills, but fortunately it doesn't force you to use them. If you want to crack Indy's whip or throw an object by flicking your wrist, you can. All of these moves can also be performed with a simple button press, though, so you needn't worry about any tacked-on or gimmicky controls. One time when you might want to use the motion controls is when you're building a LEGO structure. By shaking the Remote and Nunchuk up and down, you boost the speed of the build. It's a handy option, especially if you have the enemy bearing down on you.

As enjoyable as the game is, it's even more fun with a second player (although there's no online play, sadly). At any point during play, another person can join in on the action, instantly taking control of the AI character. If at any point they wish to quit playing, they can simply drop out of the action, returning control of the secondary character to the computer. When playing with two people, it's not uncommon for progress to slow down as one player catches up to the other, but it's a minor issue. Having a "real" partner makes solving the game's many puzzles all the more enjoyable. It also makes this a great family game as an older relative can play it with a child with both participants getting equal amounts of enjoyment.

That's the real charm of these movie-licensed LEGO games. The gameplay may be relatively simplistic, but with their great sense of humor, clever level design, and tons of hidden secrets, gamers of all ages can enjoy them. Now the real question is, how long do we have to wait until we see a LEGO-ized "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"?

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