LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga

My bright 4 year old wanted to play games as his older cousins do, but was bored by many of the more age appropriate games. I didn't want him to play games that depict realistic violence, however. Lego Star Wars was a great fit for us! When a character is hit, it simply falls into smaller Lego pieces so no gore, the game offers extensive gameplay from unlocking free play and acquiring additional characters, which prevents boredom (and the need to purchase new games!), and another player can join or drop out easily for either help or monitoring or just for fun. I see educational aspects as well. My son cannot yet write his name without help, but he can use the Wii controllers to play the game, and his writing has improved as a consequence. He is just learning to read and do basic math, but he has no problem saving up the Lego World money (Studs) to purchase in-game extras. He hasn’t been taught geography formally yet, but has memorized the layout of the levels and knows which way to go to get what. He can tell you the basic storyline of each level, name all of the dozens of characters he has earned or purchased and describe their attributes, and sets personal goals for each session. Some of the most powerful characters are baddies, which may cause some concerns, but in our family we simply use that as a springboard for discussion. All in all I am pleased with this game, and have had fun playing it with him

I sat an watched my nephew this weekend play this game.... I played too... simple fun but then I realized that the underlying message is collect money and health while destroying anything that comes around or near you... there is some problem solving and such but.... at age 10 where gaming is everything and "I want this because it not fair etc..) What I questioned here is the reinforced stimulus to consume gather steal and destroy anything in your way... to advance........ he is now taking money from wallets and stealing to gather enough money for an xbox..... I know that gathering and aquiring wealth in games is common and has been part of it since the beginning but come on man... when are the game comapnies going to step up and reinforce proper behaviors....... Again is it a great little game and I love star wars but.... parents look close and evaluate what these kids are getting reinforced with..... Do make the excuse, " Well he knows better because I told him so!"

I bought this game for my sons 6th birthday. Some parts of it are a little complex and he needed my help. I may have enjoyed the game as much as he does. He likes being able to use different characters and the puzzles he has to figure out! I would highly recommend this game. While there is a mild amount of violence, it is depicted as a breaking lego character.