Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy

If the first LEGO Star Wars won players' hearts with its take on the prequels, its sequel headed straight for the holy of holies. Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy brings the classic trilogy of episodes IV, V and VI into the world of plastic bricks, the stories that entire generations grew up on. And it does so with an even bigger dose of humour and charm than its predecessor.

The gameplay foundation stays true to the proven recipe: cooperative action, smashing and rebuilding the environment, collecting studs and switching between characters with different abilities. The great draw of the original trilogy is its iconic moments, from the escape from the Death Star to the battle on the icy planet Hoth all the way to the duel in Jabba's palace. The Game Boy Advance version once again scaled the scope to fit the handheld's hardware, but it kept that playfulness and easy accessibility.

Development was handled once again by Traveller's Tales and the game came out in 2006. Compared with the first instalment, the sequel brought a host of improvements: richer vehicle-driving options, a more elaborate character system and more room to explore. The team clearly learned from the reception of the first game and honed the formula that, in a lightly tweaked form, still powers LEGO games to this day.

The cultural significance of this instalment lies in how it cemented LEGO Star Wars as a fixture. The original trilogy is sacred material for fans, and turning it into a cute brick parody without losing respect for the source was a daring feat. The game is full of visual gags, characters hamming it up and little references that delight connoisseurs of the films.

The GBA release had its purpose here too: it offered a portable version of the experience for players on the move and complemented the big console editions. Together with the first instalment, both titles were later combined into the collector's compilation LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga, closing the arc around the entire original set of six episodes.

Why play it: The classic Star Wars trilogy in a mischievous brick coat, full of humour and iconic scenes, ideal for playing together across generations.