It’s a hell of a conundrum, really. Just how do you go about reviewing a Lego game? It’s the same with any so-called ‘kids’ game – do we, as discerning and adult games journalist, score the game from our own point of view, or try to look at it from another? Do we ignore the obvious flaws in gameplay and the complete lack of substance, or do we chastise them? Like we say, it’s a tough conundrum.

With two Lego games under its belt, Traveller’s Tales has hit upon a very successful formula, and it’s one that has polarised the gaming community. Both Lego Star Wars games were praised and blasted in equal measure for their super-simplistic gameplay, infinite lives and lack of any sort of challenge, and Lego Indiana Jones is, unsurprisingly, no different. From the moment Raiders Of The Lost Ark begins and that amusingly blocky Lego boulder rolls down the screen, you know you’re in very familiar territory. And chances are you’ll already know if that’s a place you want to be.

As with Lego Star Wars, Indy hurtles through the key scenes of the three movies (no Crystal Skull in here, unfortunately) at a riotous pace, picking out the most iconic moments and transforming them to Lego. It never fails to be utterly charming, full of knowing winks to camera and hilariously comic cut-scenes, with Indy’s trials and tribulations now solved by amusing bits of Lego building with the help of one of the many supporting cast members.

Everyone’s there, form Willie to Short Round to even old Daddy Jones himself, Sean Connery, and seeing your favourite characters turned into Lego won’t fail to raise a smile. What may prove slightly less grin-inducing, though, is the stubborn and divisive choice to award infinite lives and instant respawns upon death. Basically, there’s absolutely no point worrying when you get hit because technically, you can never die. Yes, you lose Lego ‘bits’ which harm your overall wallet and hinders your ability to unlock new characters and a few new areas, but for a onetime playthrough – which is how most people play games – Lego Indy can almost be played with your eyes closed.

We say almost, because it seems Traveller’s Tales has listened to some of the criticism levelled at Lego Star Wars. As overly simplified as Lego Indy undoubtedly is, it’s not quite as lightweight as its sci-fi forebears. Dotted throughout the three movies are a number of puzzles that actually require a bit of head-scratching to figure out, with one in particular during ‘Temple’ that had us stumped for a good 20 minutes. Now that may not sound like much, but when you think about how stupidly easy Lego Star Wars was, at least there’s a smidgen of substance here.

There are also some decent vehicles to drive about. If drive is the right word – perhaps ‘steer’ would be better. From planes to jeeps to canoes to a bloody great elephant (modelled exactly like you remember from those old zoo Lego sets), Lego Indiana Jones features far more variety in its play. Yes, most of the time you’ll just be hammering the buttons to punch and head butt your way through the hordes of Lego bad guys, but it’s significantly less monotonous than Star Wars, and that can only be a good thing.

As before, Lego Indiana Jones is at its best when played with a partner, and the drop-in, drop-out co-op that has been the series’ hallmark since day one is back, playable both offline and over Live. And this is where the Lego series really excels, and it’s hard to fault because fundamentally it’s built for adults to play along with their kids. And who are we to question that, especially when the game itself is built with such care, such passion and nearly zero technical issues.

And therein lies the problem. As so-called ‘hardcore’ gamers, there are countless more engaging, immersive and more worthy games on the 360. But this isn’t a BioShock or a GTA IV, this is a game that serves an entirely different purpose. So when you look at that score at the bottom of the page, bear in mind that it is a comparison to what else is out there and a consideration of this magazine’s readership, which on the whole is not 40-year-old dads with young kids. It’s teenagers and young adults that like chainsaw guns and boobs.

So, as a kids’ game, and a charming tribute to three fantastic films, Lego Indiana Jones really is a lovely piece of work. There’s so much to like, so much to laugh at and so much to admire. But there’s also so much to bore you to tears, so little challenge and so little satisfaction to be had in smashing your way through to the end. Lego Indiana Jones – you already know the real score. So there’s very little point arguing with ours.

Jon Denton