From the search for the Golden Idol to the riddle of the Holy Grail, LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures features every key scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, and Last Crusade.  As the whip-wielding adventurer, your challenges will include treasure hunting, stud collecting, and puzzle solving alongside one of 60+ playable characters.  Will Marion Ravenwood reach platform peaks with her high jump?  What about having Willie Scott shatter glass with her scream?  Discovering the special talents of your co-op comrades is half the fun when solving LEGO Indy’s many environmental puzzlers.

          Once you’ve completed the tutorial—after Satipo bails on you and the boulder nearly bowls you over—you return to Barnett College, which acts as your base between missions.  From then on, you’re free to jump into the other films’ adventures and start collecting your favorite characters (Who wouldn’t want to play Raiders with Short Round?).

          Running at 1080i, cut scenes humorously portray plot points, and the in-game characters’ varied equipment, outfits, and animations look lively at a smooth 60 fps.  As Indy, you might fend off foes with a noggin noogie or snatch Marion with your whip and pull her in for a smooch. The color palettes vary as you travel from temple to tomb to mountain to mine, escaping gun-toting goons via motorcycle, mine cart, zeppelin, biplane, truck, horse…

          …basically, the game follows the movies, which means there is a lot to do and it’s a lot of fun.  Like the LEGO Star Wars titles before it, LEGO Indiana Jones will win over players of all ages with its charm, humor, and fanboy appreciation of the film trilogy.

          Levels are designed for co-op puzzle solving.  For example, both players may need to simultaneously press different floor switches or have one player ride a movable platform that the other pushes.  It’s easy enough to switch characters if you play through the campaign solo, but having another player to strategize with will cut down on legwork.

          These co-op puzzles can become frustrating if your partner has a different objective (ahhhem…you know who I’m talking to, Miss “I like feeding monkeys bananas while you hang from a rope waiting to enter a new level”).  And sometimes, even if your agendas gel, waiting for a less-seasoned gamer to catch up can become tiresome.  The good news is that players can jump in or out at anytime without disrupting the momentum of the game.  The bad news is that the highly collaborative game offers no online co-op.

          The camera is another of the game’s disappointments.  Often, it holds a fixed position so you can’t see where you are jumping (giving new meaning to the “Leap of Faith” in Last Crusade), not to mention that dying when your partner moves too far away and forces you off screen is frustrating…very frustrating.  Each level has multiple moments when your detached 3rd person POV hides key areas, leaving you to jump blindly or fight enemies that are just around a corner.  It’s a shame, because the level design poses puzzle-solving and treasure-hunting challenges that require surveying each board.

          Ultimately, LEGO Indiana Jones doesn’t offer anything we haven’t seen before, but with over 60 characters to mix and match, hidden treasure to hunt, and a tongue-in-cheek take on a classic adventure trilogy, it still has a lot to offer.  There are six missions for each of the three movies, and numerous items to collect, construct, and purchase throughout.  Unfortunately, LEGO Indiana Jones’ camera work falls far short of its source material’s, which will most likely leave players disheartened.

          …but not in a Mola Ram-tear-out-your-still-beating-heart kind of way.