Arguably the most fun you'll have in the game is wielding the lightsaber. It's good for some hack-'n-slash action but its use is limited. It's not the ultimate weapon. Eventually you'll face barriers and obstacles that will require weapons capable of more devastation. To blast through rock faces and metal walls you'll need missiles and bombs. To gain access to these weapons, you'll have to commandeer droids and use their built-in weapons systems. This is accomplished by jumping on their heads, a technique that will allow you access to these weapons for brief periods. The droids are relatively easy to control but the game forces you to do this so often that you feel as though being a Jedi is little more than a hobo jumping boxcars.

Graphically the game suffers terribly. The animation is stiff and there are framerate issues. Just about everything is average, from the likenesses of the characters to the bleak and boring backgrounds. The load times are also annoyingly long. The sounds department is excellent, but there just aren't enough samples. Sound effects, musical cues, and voiceovers are pure LucasArts, but they are repeated so often that you feel as though you're on a virtual audio treadmill. There is no question about the quality of the recordings, just that there isn't enough sounds to go around.

Republic Hero is not a game for anyone looking for a challenge. It's strictly for newbies, whether young or old. Star Wars fans and intermediate to advanced gamers should stay far away from this stinker. I am hoping that Lucas will play this game, and like the infamous 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special, decree to hunt down every existing copy and smash it with a hammer.

By Cole Smith
CCC Senior Writer