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Genre: Action/Adventure
Format: DVD
Developer: Lucasarts
Mac Publisher: Feral Interactive.
System Requirements: 1.8GHz Intel, 512MB RAM, 128MB Graphic Card, Mac OS X v10.4.10, 5GB hard disk space, DVD Drive. Not compatible with Mac mini.
Review Computer: 2GHz 17” Intel Core Duo iMac, 1GB RAM, 128 ATI Radeon X1600
Network Feature: No
Processor Compatibility: Intel only
Price: $40
ESRB Rating: E (10+)
Availability: Out now
Demo: 707 MB

Adventure has a new name. And it’s made out of mold-injected plastic. Following in the footsteps of Star Wars, you can now play the “Original” adventures of Indiana Jones in a world made out of Lego bricks, cracking your whip, beating up Nazis, and enjoying a lighthearted, humorous version of the heart-pounding series.

You take command of a Lego Indy and one companion, switching back and forth (or playing along with a friend at the same computer) as you run, jump, and swing through the original three movies. Well, a version of the movies. Lego Indy is, as you’d expect, toned down for the kiddies—Marion’s drinking game at the bar is eliminated, and the Arc of the Covenant is shown as giving beachgoers a tan rather than, you know, melting skulls. But it’s all well-done, funny, and most importantly, doesn’t get in the way of the action and puzzles.

And LIJ is pretty much wall-to-wall action and puzzles. Not only do you have to smash your enemies into their component pieces, you have to jump over ravines, disable traps, dig up treasure, and explore hidden areas. Often, Indy takes command, but you’ll need the help of whichever companion they send, either because of their special abilities (Marion, for example, can jump higher), or to hold the tools (wrenches to repair broken equipment, shovels to dig), or because a puzzle requires both characters working together to solve.

Brightly colored and just plain fun to play, the game never gets frustrating because, well, you can never fail. If a character dies (after losing all four spots on their “heart meter”), then you lose 1,000 points (gained by collecting bits of lego blocks), but that’s the only penalty. You have unlimited lives and even if you have no points left, your character still regenerates at the same point you died. While it makes the game a lot less worrying (especially around all the jump puzzles), it also takes away some of the good tension. Why be careful if you know there’s no real penalty?

If the game has a real weak point, it’s that it’s a port from a console, and the controls reflect that. You’re not in control of the “camera,” so playing with analog sticks is both supported and recommended. Using the WASD keys, however, can be a pain as you try to maneuver Indy and his pals around a world that doesn’t quite follow straight lines.

But once you get the hang of the controls, the game itself is a delightful, fun romp through some of the greatest adventure films ever made. Well, the ones that don’t feature Sean Connery, at least.