Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures

LucasArts; PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360; $39.99-$49.99

ESRB Rating: Everyone (10+) (cartoon violence)

Score: 4.5 out of 5

‘Lego Indiana Jones features the same core gameplay mechanics as the popular Lego Star Wars series i.e., little plastic building-block figurines of famous-franchise characters bopping around similarly thematic sets, bashing on other Lego characters, collecting Lego pieces and building Lego props but its not merely more of the same with a bullwhip.

The change in venue, from outer space and pretend planets to ol terra firma and real-world locales, gives Lego Indiana Jones some subtle, but significantly altered, interactive attributes, all of them good.

First off, the set design of each level is notably organic (gloriously notable in high-def on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3), with your basic landscapes, structure, flora and fauna clearly distinguishable from the Lego-ized characters and key pieces of interactive scenery, which give the whole game a genuine feel of playing with toys in the backyard … if your backyard were full of miniature replicas of Nepal, Tunisia and Venice, that is.

Secondly, swapping The Force for a Fedora, the action utilizes plausible tools and weapons of the 1930s (as opposed to the fantastical stuff of Star Wars) such as shovels and wrenches and guns, often pilfered from disposed enemies, and, of course, that trademarked bullwhip.

Surprisingly (perhaps not), Indys trusted whipsmacker is not much of a weapon as the gameplay focuses much more on exploration and environmental puzzles, often calling on the whip to yank levers or pull open out-of-reach trapdoors along with plenty of opportunities for those impromptu Tarzan swings.

A great two-player family game a title youll genuinely enjoy playing with your kids, a total guilty pleasure to just play by yourself no matter how old you are Lego Indiana Jones always features at least two main characters in play, Indy and one of 60 iconic sidekicks such as Marion Ravenwood, pipsqeaky Short Round, Dad, etc., all always playing on the same screen. If playing solo, you simply swap direct control of each character and then use the unique abilities of each ; women are better at jumping to higher-up places, only guys with a wrench can fix motors, and only Indy can crack the whip.

Considering the subject matter, the game cant quite completely avoid the foreboding nature of archeological grave-robbing, though it excels at spoofing such stuff at every turn quite a feat considering the movies are so sardonically humorous in the first place. The Lego series penchant for plastic parody and slapstick bricks is in top form, needless to say.

Though you can plow straight through all three stories of the first three films in a matter of hours, Lego Indiana Jones maintains a high level of engagement for much longer than that; its simply chock-full of hidden treasures and buried artifacts on top the expected patent treasures of arks and grails, enough to keep you playing over and over as different characters with different sidekicks just to see what this or that pair of displaced adventurers might churn up.

2.1 Stereo Orb

mStation; any audio source, iPod; $129.95

Score: 4 out of 5

If youre looking for a bit more beefcake from your gaming audio, mStation has a couple of self-contained 2.1 stereo systems ready to flesh out the kabooms and clangs left wanting when emanating from just TV speakers. The mStation Orb specifically features a cutesy, spherical form factor just begging to chum with diminutive, stark white Nintendo Wii.

With just 30 watts of peak power, the Orb isnt exactly a house-shaker, but at normal listening volumes, it does a great job of bringing out that precious bottom end so integral to modern games any audio, for that matter while boasting a footprint small enough to sit on a shelf or side table like a new-deco ornament that actually does something practical.

The mStation 2.1 Stereo Orb is also an iPod docking station (and USB hub), but with an included cover over the iPod cradle up top, the thing looks complete and discreet. Its 10 key remote, meanwhile, will control essentials like volume and power on/standby, plus the play/skip/fwd/back functions of an iPod, if you have one.

It also comes in a variety of colors, with the white version obviously most simpatico with a Wii.