Feel the farce as Anakin and friends go fun-sized in this big-hearted kiddie adventure

The genius of Lego Star Wars is in its ability to condense the three second-generation Star Wars movies down into bite-sized chunks, and to then retell them entirely in the language of Lego. Every key vehicle, location and character from Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Episode II: Attack Of The Clones and Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith has been shrunk down and encased in plastic, resulting in a charming, cohesive portrait of the Star Wars universe that draws you in from the very outset.

Naturally, we'd have preferred Lego Star Wars to have focused on Episodes IV to VI as opposed to I to III, but then what (apart from sending Eidos dog turds through the post every Monday until it agrees to make Lego Star Wars II can we do? If nothing else, it means that those of us with attention spans like coke-snorting Labrador puppies can remind ourselves of the lead-up to Episode III ahead of its forthcoming cinematic release without having to actually put ourselves through the grinding, aching, thudding misery of The Phantom Menace. And who said games don't help learnin' none? The actual gameplay is simplicity itself.

Controlling one member of a small squad of Star Wars characters, you skip into combat for a spirited bout of single-button melee madness. Slay all the enemies in that particular area and you win the right to move onto the next one. And so on and so forth until that cute little Anakin chap has completed his transformation from cheeky sod to right nasty rotter.

You can switch between the characters in your party at any stage in the play, and you'll need to if you're to have any chance of completing the scores of junior-sized puzzles that you're regularly confronted with. Lego Star Wars features more than 30 characters from the three movies, each with their own unique skills. C3PO, for instance, is able to unlock doors that Anakin and Obi-Wan can only bang their heads against. A typical C-3PO puzzle runs something like this: you come upon a molten lake, the other side of which stands a locked door. Trouble is, C:3PO's limited mobility means he's unable to cross the lake without being melted down into loose change. Thus, you must switch to Obi-Wan, vault the lake, flip the switch that controls the bridge, then vault back, switch to C3PO, amble over the bridge and then unlock the door. Simple. Simple, but satisfying.

Allin all, a spectacular triumph then. Right? Well, almost. The fact is, Lego Star Wars is way, way too easy. Granted, it's a game aimed at people who can't reach biscuit tins without the aid of a stepladder, but that's not to say that older, more pubey players won't be interested in it. Those adults who are considering a purchase should bear in mind the fact that it's possible to complete all three episodes in less than four hours. Think on.

All our other problems can be collected into a 'Miscellaneous Beefs' pile: 1) We would have liked to have been able to control the game camera ourselves. The default view often hangs back way too far away from the action, meaning you miss out on a lot of the cool stuff. Such as when you chop a droid off at the knee like a pair of old jeans a young goth child has decided to convert into shorts. 2) The decision not to voice the characters during the cutscenes leaves the story chunks feeling quiet and strangely empty. At times, the sweeping orchestral score manages to fill the many vocal blanks, yet the fact remains that countless key Star Wars moments - Anakin losing his hand; Boba Fett witnessing the death of his father; Qui-Gon Jinn biting the big one - are allowed to pass by in a blur of inarticulate drama. And finally 3) While visually charming, you never get the impression that Lego Star Wars is ever asking serious questions of your Xbox's graphical hardware. Is the fact that it's primarily designed for kids any excuse for it not to drench you in explosions that make your stomach collapse like the films? We think not.

Nevertheless, Lego Star Wars remains an action title sealed very safely within the 'small-but-beautifully-formed' envelope. Young children, particularly those with a love of the recent movies, will play it until they wear their fingers down into Wotsit-sized stumps, while adults will find its simple, undemanding play a refreshing gear-change in an age increasingly obsessed with attention-heavy, high-minded tactical nonsense. So by all means, give Lego Star Wars a spin. It might not be the best game released this month, but it will put a smile on your face for a couple of hours. And what else could possibly do that for less than £40? Okay yeah, apart from that... .

1. Wonderful use of the licence to retell the three movies in an amusing, charming and innovative new way.
2. Pleasingly simple stuff, from the basic, one-button combat to the no-brain puzzles. The perfect game for the discerning younger brother.
3. Glorious use of the orchestral score. The films may get gradually worse, but that music just keeps on getting better.

1. Far too easy. Even inexperienced players will have completed it within a single weekend. That said, there's plenty to unlock.
2. The somewhat stilted game camera doesn't always get as close to the action as you might like. A shame.

Perhaps the single most perfect kiddie game ever. Sadly, it had the potential to be significantly more than that.