Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga

My son got this for his 7th birthday. It was almost an afterthought and wasn't very expensive because the newer version has come out. I might as well have skipped the other gifts as he hasn't played with any of them. This was his first real exposure to anything Star Wars but now he is as obsessed as anyone. Best of all, for the first time in his life, I have some leverage. We have been able to address some ongoing behavior issues by allowing him to earn time to play Lego Star Wars. No other toy or activity was ever interesting enough to really work for a reward system. That is how much he loves this game. He wakes up in the morning and gets dressed like lightning so he can have a few minutes to play - no more dilly-dallying. He is good all day at school because he knows if I get a good report from his teacher, he can play an extra 20 minutes. I do limit his screen time so the rest of the time when he's not playing the game, he's drawing pictures of the game, making up stories about it, reading books about Star Wars, and making his own light-sabers out of whatever is available. We have quite a few Wii games at our house, and they have all been played and enjoyed, but none have come close to this one in popularity. In fact, I might as well sell the rest of our games.As far as the game itself, from a parent's perspective I like it because it's not really very violent. My son is very sensitive to violence and scary movies. He has nightmares after scooby doo. But a colleague told me this game wasn't very violent and he was right. Since all of the characters are made of legos, they will fall apart but then get put back together.Another bonus is the cooperative play. At any time while my son is playing, my daughter can pick up a remote and join in. They are working cooperatively and have to stick together. This does result in a little squabbling sometimes, but it's good for them to have to work things out and cooperate and it's great that she can play for a bit and then leave without messing up the game because she's not nearly as obsessed about it as her brother.I also like that it shows a lego version of what happens in the movies pretty much scene by scene. I finally let him watch the first STar Wars movie (episode IV I guess is what it's called now) and he recognized pretty much every scene. This is great because he won't be allowed to see episodes 1,2 and 3 for a couple of years and he's fine with that because he knows what happens from the game. The lego scenes are hilarious too, especially the one that shows Luke and Leia being born.All in all, this is a great way to introduce your kids to Star Wars and it is an extremely engaging game which requires kids to problem-solve and cooperate. If you don't already have this version, I can't imagine what the newer version could do better so don't waste your money. Also, I figure once he gets through every level, he will eventually want another challenge so we will have the other game waiting for us.

Having LOVED Lego Star Wars on the Nintendo Game Cube, our kids were determined to get the Wii version when we upgraded our system. To be truthful, I thought it might be a waste of money (since we were able to play all of our old Gamecube games on the Wii), but they insisted and finally tipped the scale in their favor when they pooled their money and offered to buy it themselves. Thinking this would be a "sad but valuable" lesson in learning to take advice from their parents, we conceded and allowed the purchase.I am HAPPY to report that my husband and I were actually the ones who ended up learning something! This Wii game is so much MORE than the installment we had. The added "bonuses" keep my kids active and entertained, and the Wii complements the different personalities of both of my kids (I have one who likes to search out every "nook and cranny" and takes FOREVER to get through a game, the other rushes to the finish line, ignoring everything else on the way). No matter the approach to gaming, the Lego Star Wars accommodates.As far as the chores mentioned in the tag line? It's been nigh on miraculous. When the kids get in the car after school, invariably one or the other says, "Can we play Star Wars when we get home?" My answer? "Sure, guys! Just as soon as you finish your homework and chores!". The work gets done, the kids play, and I get a little peace and quiet in my afternoon (if you don't count the hum of light sabers and blaster bolts).

We bought this for Christmas for our 4-year-old on the recommendation of friends with a similar aged kid. It has been a serious hit. He learned to play really quickly, but even before he really understood what he was doing he enjoyed it. And it's pretty fun for adults to play along with kids (or without kids) also. Sometimes my husband and I would get so into finishing the level, we would play it after our son went to sleep. It can be slightly maddening, at times, to play with a 4-year-old, but that's how most things are these days, so we're used to it. The two players are yolked together, so you have to go the same direction at the same pace or someone can get dropped out of the game. But once you learn to play together, it's fine and probably a good exercise in team work. The Star Wars aspect of it is pretty fun too- it follows all 6 movies. You collect currency (Lego pieces) that you can spend on unlocking characters and abilities. Since kids don't always get the currency aspect of the game, my husband and I helped with that too sometimes after bedtime. That helped make the game even more fun I think- my husband insists it helped a lot. All in all, as video games go this is a good one. Easy for kids to master (our four-year-old was soon giving his grandparents lessons on how to play) fun for adults too. I would suggest that for younger kids it would be best to play with an adult (Or older kid) at first until they get the hang of it and know how to move through the levels. Slightly addictive, of course, so there is that danger.