Following up a classic is never easy. Just ask George Lucas. Or BioWare for that matter. After the Canadian developer unleashed Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic upon us, it wasn't interested in following up with a pure sequel - it left that in Obsidian’s more than capable hands.

Instead, it turned its attention to an altogether new setting. The result? Its Empire Strikes Back is a sweeping, glorious role-playing game set in mythical China that, aside from delivering like a 24-hour takeaway, more importantly won't alienate fans of the previous effort. So settle down for a tale of intrigue, a long time ago, in a beautiful land far, far away from any space saga...

With any RPG comes the task of choosing a playable persona, and we now know how hard a choice it must have been for Blind Date contestants at the end of their fifteen minutes of fame. Six different characters (seven if you fork out for the limited edition) provide the not- so-blank canvases with which to start your quest, though all are considerably better looking than the mutton that used to put you off your tea on a Saturday night_ Each falls into Magical, Strength or Balanced categories, but because of the huge amount of character customisation on offer throughout the game (and hence the vast amount of ability each can amass), these don't have the far-reaching implications we would've liked, and all become a bit academic after the first third of the game. All, however, boast incredible facial detail, which is brilliantly reflected during conversations between folk.

Subtle alterations in their expressions may not sound like much but make an Empire-sized difference in creating an absorbing atmosphere. And it's not just a tacky weekend to Center Parcs you'll be spending with your chosen companion either, but a hefty, wondrous journey through this truly fantastical frontier. Each episode of the story takes in incredibly designed, sumptuously spectacular locations, from tranquil villages and mountainside temples to claustrophobic underground caverns and the bustling dynamic of the hub-like Imperial City. There's an overall majesty resonating in every new area you discover, and the fantastic visuals really are jawdropping. We could spend longer gazing wistfully at the gorgeous waterfalls and rainbows here than at the latest Gossard billboard, but then that wouldn't get us very far on our quest to restore balance to the world of spirits and humans, would it?

There's never a huge sense of urgency to complete the main objectives either, so it's a joy to wander at will and explore every square inch of this wondrous land. It's a tribute to the developer's wild imagination that these both advance and complement the storyline without ever being too intrusive or in your face.

Brilliant audio - from the soothing tweeting of birds and calming guitars to the rousing orchestral score during boss battles - is also a fine accompaniment.

Sweeping and all-encompassing in scale, the progressive script limits to-ing and fro-ing, and always does enough to keep players interested. The main story charters your humble beginnings as a promising student at your master's dojo. A few fights and cryptic musings from wise old men (that seem to litter these types of games) later, and we know - something bigger is afoot. Teasing titbits of info are drip-fed to your character at an appeasing rate, and you'll be constantly itching to discover the next piece of the puzzle.

Cutscenes are frequent and impressive in composition, but do have an annoying tendency to drag on for that bit longer than necessary. That's not to say it's all serious though, as every other conversation is smattered with humorous dialogue and entertainingly eccentric NPCs. The same ‘go here, talk to him, go there’ vein of gameplay as Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic pulses throughout Jade, though tasks never become laborious thanks in part to the quality of sub-quests, and to the continually entertaining combat.

And so onto the discerning factor that separates Jade from every other RPG out there. Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic pioneered the evolution of RPG titles, seamlessly implementing turn-based combat as real time. Jade Empire goes one better by introducing full-blown, all-out combat that brilliantly plays like a normal actioner/beat 'em up - the first RPG to use martial arts as its combat engine. However, far from simple button-bashing, Jade still retains a surprising element of strategy to each bout, thanks to the numerous different fighting styles on offer. Skill levels are of course taken into account, though the finely balanced engine weights the chances firmly into players’ hands. Stripped down and accessible, simple one-button moves are the way of the fist. Or sword. Blocking and evading are just as important as offensive moves, yet are an absolute cinch thanks to the intuitive button-mapping.

Jade Empire squeezes in eighteen different forms of combat (see Style Council, above) throughout the course of its massively comprehensive storyline. Switching between styles mid-fight is smooth and seamless, and this intuitive interface really makes every fight entertaining and engaging. It's vital too, as certain enemies are immune to different fighting styles, be it weapon-based or unarmed. This refined combat really elevates Jade above Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic's confines and, most importantly, actually works really well. Fights are never intrusive to the pace of the game, and although they're a bit on the simple side (it's dead easy to avoid almost any type of attack), they never become a chore.

Hand in hand with this is the whole Closed Fist/Open Palm way of thinking. Similar in theory to Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic's Light Side/Dark side mantra, Jade shows far more subtle implications. The only headache this adventure will cause is that of choice; we're consistently challenged to decide the right thing to do, be it saving a town from drought or destroying the dam and pocketing the hefty mercenaries’ reward. Like Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic you'll learn various fighting: styles quicker than others, though unlike the space saga no style is exclusive to one side of the fence. Go round slaughtering the neighbourhood dogs instead of saving them and you'll struggle to learn the style assigned to that sub-quest, though thankfully the opportunity arises later in the game to atone for this.

These subtleties vary the game enough to warrant repeated play and experimentation, and amount to three different endings. There's a notable change in perception from the NPCs towards your character depending on your current allegiance, be it kind pleasantries or downright ignorance. This is none more evident than in the behaviour of your followers. You'll meet up to 12 different disciples along your quest (of which nine are combat-enabled), though only one will ever be able to accompany you at a time. Piss off one of your tree-hugging groupies, and they'll even go so far as to refuse to follow you into combat, though the flipside of this is the increased acceptance and enthusiasm of your more bloodthirsty brethren. Handily, you can dip in and out of the lobby at any time and switch your army of one for a different character best suited to the current situation. Each can be assigned Attack or Support tactics, the latter meaning they'll stand idly by and casually 'help' by occasionally healing you or temporarily increasing your magical ability. Like, 00oh thanks, why not just shout a few insults while you're there? We didn't use this tactic much, not for want of lusting after a tougher fight, but because it took away some of the camaraderie and team-based thrills of your regular role-playing game.

But let's not belittle what is in effect a truly groundbreaking feature in a RPG. The sheer accessible quality of Jade will grab the huge portion of mainstream gamers introduced to the role- playing genre by Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic, and drag them kicking and screaming into a sumptuous, surreal world of elephant demons and ancient lore - a considerable achievement for a new franchise. So hark the trumpets and start the Imperial March; in our opinion this is an accessible Star Wars-beater if ever we saw one. Beautiful to look at and incredibly immersive to play, Jade Empire delivers enough depth and detail to satiate even the most jaded RPG fan. A royal event worth attending. .

1. Gloriously ambitious, yet BioWare pulls off the intertwining saga with ease; you never feel you're meandering off on a quest for no reason.
2. The outstanding script, with quality dialogue and excellent voice talent, does a fine job of keeping the player interested throughout.
3. Realtime combat is a great touch; being able to instanty switch between numerous styles with such fluidity is a masterstroke.
4. There's a huge amount of variation, be it character customisaton or the seemingly endless sub-quests. Replayability is an absolute given.
5. Lush visuals and imaginative creatures, plus impressive facial detals on all the characters - incredible considering the size of the game.

BioWare outdoes itself again. Jade Empire is imaginative, accessible, beautiful to look at and incredibly immersive to play.