A few weeks back, we took a look at the levels of LEGO Star Wars II that are based on Episode IV: A New Hope. After a recent trip to LucasArts headquarters, we can now bring you some in-depth details on the Empire Strikes Back stages in LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy.

The Empire Strikes Back

Chapter 1: Hoth Battle

Playable Characters: Snowspeeder

For years, fans have been begging LucasArts to let them experience the battle of Hoth in a video game. Finally, the company has listened, and we now have a chance to see what it's like taking on the giant AT-ATs with a mere tow cable and plenty of sarcasm on my part. But while we've seen Hoth in plenty of Star Wars games before, we've definitely never seen a LEGO version of it, have we?

This entire stage is played in a snowspeeder. During the first segment of the stage, you pilot the craft over Hoth's surface, taking out both probe droids and AT-STs. You will occasionally come across a passageway that's blocked off by a wall. To destroy the obstacle, you must track down a machine that dispenses bombs. Using the snowspeeder's tow cable, the bomb is dragged behind the ship until it is thrown at its intended target. The weight of the bomb actually affects your control of the speeder. To get any distance when you throw the weapon, you'll have to get a bit of a windup first. Just don't fly the bomb too close to a probe droid -- the obnoxious little robots can steal them from you.


In later parts of the stage, you'll have to take on a few AT-ATs. Just like in the film, you'll want to trip them up in the snowspeeder's tow cables, but to truly finish them off, you'll have to drag a bomb and detonate it on the downed Imperial walker.

Chapter 2: Escape from Echo Base

Playable Characters: Han Solo (Hoth), Princess Leia (Hoth), Chewbacca, C-3PO

"Imperial troops have entered the base!" With the Rebels' shield generator destroyed and snowtroopers pouring into their icy headquarters, it's time for the good guys to beat a hasty retreat. The stage begins with Han and Leia running through the base while fending off attacking snowtroopers. Some passageways are blocked by walls of ice, but some quick building with piles of LEGO bricks will create a heater that melts the walls and allows our heroes to get on their way.

You'll occasionally burst into a room and take waiting snowtroopers by surprise. If you look quick, you'll see that the invaders are warming their little, plastic behinds on heaters like the ones you've built.

Eventually, you meet up with Chewie and 3PO, and you'll have to get past a fairly elaborate puzzle that involves building a snowmobile to help the protocol droid reach an elevated platform. If only li'l Anakin programmed jumping into 3PO when he was built, this whole thing could have been avoided.